A TOSA MYOCHIN SCHOOL TSUBA

Details
A TOSA MYOCHIN SCHOOL TSUBA
EDO PERIOD (CIRCA 1750), SIGNED TOSHU JU KUNIYOSHI SAKU

The round iron plate is pierced with a design of a temple gate (torii) and a pine tree. It has a round rim and there are some carved details on the surface of the design. There are rust patches to the lower center of the plate--height 7.6cm., width 7.4cm., thickness 5.5mm.

Lot Essay

The Tosa Myochin school, despite its foundation in the classic Myochin armor school tradition, worked mainly in the style of the Akasaka school of Edo. The Yamanouchi family, hereditary daimyo of Kochi, the capital of Tosa, patronized this school. They admired the Akasaka style and requested that their resident Myochin family retainers make pieces of this type. Many are equal to the mid to later Akasaka school work and the two types have frequently been confused. Signed examples are rare.