Lot 215
215
A TANAKA SCHOOL TSUBA

Details
A TANAKA SCHOOL TSUBA
EDO PERIOD (DATED GENJI 1 [1864]), SIGNED HOSHUDO TOSHIKAGE

The iron plate of rounded rectangular form is carved in low relief and decorated in gold nunome and soft metal inlay. A crane is depicted flying towards Jurojin. The god is shown half hidden by a cloud. The reverse is similarly decorated with a snow-capped mountain and a pine shoot in a branch. The tsuba is signed on the face and dated on the reverse--height 6.5cm., width 5.7cm., thickness 3mm.
Provenance
Christie's, London, October 15 1968, lot 115.

Lot Essay

Tanaka Toshikage was from the Morikawa family and employed the names Minamoto, Fujiwara, and Hoshudo in his signature. He studied under Tanaka Kiyotoshi and most of his work is in the Tanaka school style. It is very close in quality to that of his teacher.