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Lot Essay
The Myochin family of armorers made articulated models of all kinds of feathery, scaly, and shelled creatures, but among them all the dragon was that most frequently found embossed on iron armor, and was doubtless the most important of the Myochin repertoire.
The dragon is associated with a wealth of legend and symbolism in old Japan, signifying both the holy nature of Shinto and the wisdom of Buddhism. Representations of the dragon are found from the earliest historical period, wall paintings in the stone tomb chambers of the Kofun period (4th - 7th centuries) together with tiger, phoenix, and gryphon. In Shinto mythology the deity Ryujin is a dragon who lives under the sea and bears a jewel which controls the tides. In esoteric Buddhism the dragon together with the sword indicate the rope and double-edged sword of Fudo Myo-o, and is the manifestation of other deities. It is also used frequently as the fore-crest on a helmet, although iron pieces in that service are very rare.
The present dragon is the longest of all articulated iron models known to appear on the art market in recent years, and is inscribed with the well-known name of the helmet maker Myochin Nobuie together with his kao (a personal logo). A number of makers of fine iron multi-plate ridged helmets who signed Nobuie were active in more than one province during the Edo period, but it is difficult to distinguish between them. Both the signature and the kao on this dragon are recorded on several helmets purporting to date from the 16th century, but most likely somewhat later in date. In fact the earliest known articulated models whose dates are known with certainty are the dragon signed Myochin Muneaki (1682 - 1741) and dated 1713 (exhibited in Jizai Okimono at the Tokyo National Museum in 2009), and a butterfly signed Myochin Muneyasu dated 1753 (Okura Shukokan Collection, Tokyo). The Tokyo National Museum dragon, a 17th-18th-century example in the collection of the Kiyomizuzaka Museum (illustrated: Articulated Iron Figures of Animals, by Harada Katsutoshi (Kyoto: Maria Shobo, 2010), length 100.5cm, and the present dragon (length 137.5 cm.) are all of the substantial size and sculpted with the vigor expected of early work. Later pieces tend to be considerably smaller and made with more precision, lacking the immediate sense of vitality and urgency of this robust and uncompromising dragon.
The dragon is associated with a wealth of legend and symbolism in old Japan, signifying both the holy nature of Shinto and the wisdom of Buddhism. Representations of the dragon are found from the earliest historical period, wall paintings in the stone tomb chambers of the Kofun period (4th - 7th centuries) together with tiger, phoenix, and gryphon. In Shinto mythology the deity Ryujin is a dragon who lives under the sea and bears a jewel which controls the tides. In esoteric Buddhism the dragon together with the sword indicate the rope and double-edged sword of Fudo Myo-o, and is the manifestation of other deities. It is also used frequently as the fore-crest on a helmet, although iron pieces in that service are very rare.
The present dragon is the longest of all articulated iron models known to appear on the art market in recent years, and is inscribed with the well-known name of the helmet maker Myochin Nobuie together with his kao (a personal logo). A number of makers of fine iron multi-plate ridged helmets who signed Nobuie were active in more than one province during the Edo period, but it is difficult to distinguish between them. Both the signature and the kao on this dragon are recorded on several helmets purporting to date from the 16th century, but most likely somewhat later in date. In fact the earliest known articulated models whose dates are known with certainty are the dragon signed Myochin Muneaki (1682 - 1741) and dated 1713 (exhibited in Jizai Okimono at the Tokyo National Museum in 2009), and a butterfly signed Myochin Muneyasu dated 1753 (Okura Shukokan Collection, Tokyo). The Tokyo National Museum dragon, a 17th-18th-century example in the collection of the Kiyomizuzaka Museum (illustrated: Articulated Iron Figures of Animals, by Harada Katsutoshi (Kyoto: Maria Shobo, 2010), length 100.5cm, and the present dragon (length 137.5 cm.) are all of the substantial size and sculpted with the vigor expected of early work. Later pieces tend to be considerably smaller and made with more precision, lacking the immediate sense of vitality and urgency of this robust and uncompromising dragon.