A Yoshioka School Tsuba

SIGNED YOSHIOKA INABA (NO) SUKE, EDO PERIOD (18TH CENTURY)

Details

A Yoshioka School Tsuba
Signed Yoshioka Inaba (no) suke, Edo Period (18th century)
The shakudo nanako slightly convex (goishigata) shape plate is decorated with a design of two mon on the face and one on the reverse in gold flush inlay, the whole surface, including the gold rim cover, is covered with circular nanako ground of very fine grain, double wood storage boxes, inner box with inscription by Sato Kanzan, dated early summer, 1966
7.4cm. high

Provenance

Joseph U. Seo, New York
Walter Compton

Literature

L'arcade Chaumet, Fabuleuses Tsuba japonaises: Exposition de la Collection du Docteur Walter A. Compton, (Paris, 1976), no.43, p.17
Yutaka Mino and James Robinson, A Collector's Choices: Asian Art from the Collection of Dr. Walter A. Compton, (Indianapolis Museum of Art, 1983), nos.14, a & b, p.19
One Hundred Masterpieces from the Collection of Dr. Walter A. Compton, Sebastian Izzard (ed.), (Christie, Manson & Woods International, London and New York, 1992), no.83

Lot Essay

Accompanied by a certificate of registration as a Tokubetsu kicho [Especially precious sword fitting] issued by the Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai [Society for the Preservation of the Japan Art Sword], no.504, dated 29th May 1966; and a Tokubetsu kicho certificate issued by the N.B.T.H.K., no.141, dated 15th April 1971

The Yoshioka family school is considered to rank just below the Goto Shirobei mainline school. Seven generations in total, the Yoshioka family were greatly admired in their own day. Inaba no Suke was a hereditary title employed by the Yoshioka to sign most of their works. The family were direct retainers of the Tokugawa bakufu and lived part of each year in Edo. They received both land and rice for their services. The tsuba can be attributed to either Yoshioka Shigenaga or Yoshioka Shigehiro, the third or fourth masters of the school.

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