A KOFUN SHITOGI TSUBA, A KANAYAMA TSUBA AND FOUR OTHERS

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AFTERNOON SESSION SWORD-FITTINGS PROPERTY FROM THE LUNDGREN COLLECTION

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A KOFUN SHITOGI TSUBA, A KANAYAMA TSUBA AND FOUR OTHERS
A Kofun Shitogi tsuba [Hoju tsuba], the unusually large iron plate pierced with a design of wheels, uchi-kaeshi mimi, unsigned, with a wood box, 8th century, 4in. (10.2cm.), thickness 2.5mm., mimi 6.5mm.; a Heianjo tsuba with Oeyama Rusumoyo, the circular polished plate pierced with a design of a conch shell, inlaid with an ichimegasa hat and an oi, dote mimi, missing part of the design, 16th century, 2 9/16in. (6.5cm.), mimi 0.5cm.; a Heianjo tsuba, the oval iron polished plate decorated with pine needles in brass zogan, thin dote mimi, unsigned, with a wood box, 17th century, 2 5/8in. (6.6cm.), mimi 6mm.; a large Onin tsuba decorated in brass zogan with pine needles, mon including kaminari [thunder], kiku and ido [a well], rounded mimi, unsigned, 16th century, 3¼in. (8.3cm.), thickness 3mm.; a Kanayama tsuba the small iron plate pierced and decorated in kebori with a design of a bell beside a torii [shrine gate] among pines, unsigned, 17th century, 2½in. (6.4cm), mimi 6mm.; a Koike Yoshiro School tsuba the mokkogata iron plate decorated with Chinese bellflowers and scrolling foliage in brass hirazogan, hizoko style mimi, unsigned, 17th century, 3¼in. (8.3cm.), mimi 4.5mm. (6)

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No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

Many similar pieces to the first tsuba can be found but this example is in extremely good condition. According to Inami Hakusui, it was excavated in 1917 from the Old Highway in Kanagawa prefecture. For a similar example see Christie's, Japanese Swords and Swords Fittings for the Collection Dr. Walter A. Compton, part I (New York auction catalogue, 31 March 1992), lot 55.
The second piece is a rusumoyo of the legend of Oeyama. It is the story of Minamoto no Yorimitsu pacifying Shutendoji who lived in the Oeyama. He disguised himself as a yamabushi, made Shutendoji drink sake and subdued him. The virtues of the yamabushi are personified in this subject (see also lot 260).
For a similar example to the fourth see Torigoe, K, Tsuba kanshoki, (Okayama, 1964), p. 33.
The fifth, Matsumiya Kanzan in Tobankenfu makes the following reference to Kanayama tsuba 'there exist tsuba called Kanayama-de, with large designs in thin sukashi.'

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