A HIGO TSUBA | Christie's

A HIGO TSUBA

Details

A HIGO TSUBA
EDO PERIOD (CIRCA 1650)

The oval copper plate has a convex face which slightly tapers to the edge. It is decorated with a dragon carved from the face and another matching dragon inlaid in shakudo. Both have their eyes inlaid in gold. The concave reverse of the plate has heavy hammer marks and the vestiges of the original black lacquer surface. On the lower right area the plate has been pierced with a flaming pearl motif. The large hitsu-ana are original and are typical of Higo work--height 6.9cm., width 6.5cm., thickness at center 4.75mm., at edge 4.25mm.

Provenance

W. L. Behrens

Literature

Joly (1913-14) no. 1855, pl. XXXVI, p. 69.
For a Hikozo tsuba, see Sato/Homma/Kashima (1964) no. 155, p. 157.
For a Misumi Koji tsuba, see ibid., no. 362, p. 363.

Lot Essay

This tsuba has many of the characteristics of the work of Hirata Hikozo but it may well be the work of another Higo artist, in particular Misumi Koji (fl. circa 1700), also known as Harunobu. The four marks on each side of the nakago-ana are similar to those employed by Hikozo, although he normally used five marks round bottoms.