The articles on this page originally appeared in JSSUS newsletter Volume 8, no.2, 1970. Page 4
Contributions to the Register of the Masters of Japanese Sword Mountings by Shinkichi Hara.
by Edgar Franckel
Contributions to the Register of the Masters of Japanese Sword Mountings by Shinkichi Hara.
by Edgar Franckel
[Translated by Helga E. Reap and Alan L. Harvie]* The impatiently awaited and recently published second edition of Shinkichi Hara's work Die Meister der japanischen Schwertzieraten, for the inclusion of the "artists, whose lifetime can be accurately, or approximately accurately, determined, "1 demands completeness.2 In view of the volume of pertinent art properties to be found in European and North American possession, it must be acknowledged right from the beginning that it is a physical impossibility for one individual to completely research all the noted pieces in the various collections, and it is impossible to claim this accomplishment. A more detailed pursuit of this subject seems to justify this doubt, particularly when one realizes that the Shōsankenshu by Henry L. Joly3 alone cites approximately 2300 Masters, all of whom are missing from the by now thirty year old first edition of Hara's work, and in whose newly published edition only an approximation of so extensive a supplement is to be found. Of course it has to be taken in- to consideration that Hara, as mentioned at the beginning, limits his list to artists whose period can be determined, whereas the Shōsankenshu, although it gives dates for many artists, does not have this fundamental limitation.
In the following the attempt shall be made, with consideration of the limitations made by Hara, and for the present without any system 4 or claim to completeness, to fill in a few gaps in the new edition of Hara's work, be it by the inclusion of Masters whose names are missing or by the addition of a few details to the listed Masters.
1. Ichiyeiken Yoshisada - he also called himself Kiriuken and came from the Sato family.5 He was a pupil of Ishiguro Masayoshi and was active about the middle of the 19th century.6
*Taken from Ostasiatische Zeitschrift, New Series 8, No. 6, 1932. Pp. 293-299. Plates 39 and 40.
2. Omori Tokinobu, 1 first half of the 19th century, perhaps a son or pupil of Omori Mitsutoki.2,3
3. Arai Tokinari. I believe that I can assume that this artist is identical with the Arakawa Tokinari mentioned by Hara, p. 207, column 1. The fuchi kashira reproduced shows as the artist name of the Master: Kidensai. Joly in the Shosankenshu mentions an additional artist's name for this artist: Sominsai
4. Fuyötei Noriyuki . Hara lists on p. 159, column 2, a considerable succession of artist names for this well-known Hamano Master, but neither he nor Henry L. Joly mentions the above name.
5. Abe Mitsukuni, a Master of the Ozuki School who is usually called Masuya Gihei. He worked toward the end of the 18th century in Kyoto.6
6. Kwariudo Takashige lived in Kyoto and was active between the end of the Tempo and the beginning of the Meiji periods (1843-1868).7
7. Meiyöken Mitsuteru of the Yamagata family, belonged to the Tetsugendo School and lived in the first half of the 19th century. 8
8. Torinsai Katsunaga 9 presumably not to be identified with any of the three similarly written Katsunagas mentioned by Hara. Rather, just as Kuroha Katsutoshi, Gwaryūdō Katsushige and Seiryöken Katsuhira, he was a Master of the Tamagawa branch of the Mito School10 and worked in the Tempo period (1830-1843).
9. In the same period there was active Yamazaki Ichiga, a descendant of a Master with the same name listed by Hara. He, too, lived in Kyoto.11
10. Ishimura Moritsune, listed by Hara, bore the artist name of Bairinsai .12
11. There exists a fuchi-kashira by Tetsuya Naoshige signed Tetsugendō Shōrakul3 which is dated Anyei 9 (1780), hence with the year of his death. 14
12. Toryuken Naotoshi worked about the middle of the 19th century. 15
13. Shōshu (Katsuhide) of the Unno family, a son or pupil of the outstanding Master Shōmin, 16 born in 1844, is mentioned by Hara in column 2 of p. 182.
14. Shunkado Masamori E (Taira 4). An iron
tsuba signed by this artist and dated Tempo 15 (1844) exists in the Field Museum in Chicago (Cat. No. 131121).1
15. Naoyuki of the Fujii family, of whom there existed a tsuba in the collection of W. L. Behrens with the date Manyen (1860).2
16. Gansuiken Takenori, mentioned by Hara, descend- ed from the Rikuta family and worked in Mitsugu of Bingo Province, as shown by a tsuba with the date Keio 2 (1866) in the Field Museum Collection (Cat. No. 131117).3
17. Ryujusai Nobuhisa X of the Miyata family was a son of Miyata Nobukiyo;4 the tsuba made by Nobuhisa, which is in the Field Museum, was made in the 3rd quarter of the 19th century.5
18. Yoshinori, a member of the Tsuji School, worked at the turn of the 18th century; the kozuka reproduced here shows his sumi-zögan. 6
19. Tomonaga of the Kanasugi family held the artist name of Füriusai 7
20. The Master, Ju Yoshishige, Hara "apparently" takes to be a pupil of Masayoshi (Ishiguro); 8 the kozuka reproduced here decides this affirmatively: the reverse, namely by Masayoshi, has to the left the signature of Yoshi- shige and to the right the notification (Ura Masayoshi: the reverse side by Masayoshi).9
21. Umetada Narikazu -, a pupil of Umetada Naritsugu. 10 What may be concluded from this work with some probability is that Narikazu, as well as Naritsugu, partly rubbed off the gilding of his sword ornaments. He therefore must have worked at the beginning of the 18th century. 11
22. Hirosada 12 bore also the name Ishikawa
23. Naohiro 1,14 an artist of the Nara School, who lived at the end of the 18th century, apparently cannot be identical with Yojuken Mori Naohiro UF,15 as their kakihan, too, are different. Hara lists neither.
24. The Hara listed a) Yoshinobu of the Kumagai family also bore the artist name Ikkösai -16 and b) Toshiharu # of the Nakajima family the artist name Shō- getsusai 17
25. A tsuba dated Bunkwa 4 (1807), by Miochin Hirosada, 18 was in the J. C. Hawkshaw Coll.19
26. Hara emphasizes that three swordguards by Shōami Morikuni, dated 1726, 1742 and 1746 are known.1 In the J. C. Hawkshaw Coll. is found an iron tsuba by this Master dated Gembun 1 (1736).2
27. Kanyeishi Kanenori of the Nomura family3 worked also in the Yenkio period as a fuchi-kashira dated Yenkio 2 (1745) in the J. C. Hawkshaw Coll. attests.4
28. Kinai Munemitsu of the Takahashi family 5 who lived in Echizen Province, did his work in the first half of the 19th century.6 7
29. It is questionable if Ito Masatoshi ### is identical with the artist of the same name belonging to the Kitani family mentioned by Hara, because the latter Ito Masatoshi worked in the first half of the 19th century, while a tsuba described in the J. C. Hawkshaw Coll. (Cat. No. 888), signed Ito Masatoshi, is dated Keio 2 (1866).
30. Hatsuriuken Masayoshi ascribed by Joly to the Bushu School, was born in 1773 and lived more than 67 years, because an iron tsuba by him is dated Tempo 11 (1840).8
31. In the J. C. Hawkshaw Coll. is found a tsuba signed Oka (moto) Shigetsune, 9 which is dated Bunsei 2 (1820); Hara, therefore, gives somewhat too late a date for this artist.10
32. Shōhakudo Masayoshi of the Sunagawa family,11 dated a tsuba Tempo 2 (1837)
33. Two artists of the Jakushi School are not men- tioned by Hara, and are: Riüunken Koretaka Kiyōsanjin Jakushi and 13 two tsuba signed by both Masters are described by Joly in the J. C. Hawkshaw Coll.14 A tsuba made by the second named Master alone bears the date Tempo 8 in the beginning of summer (1838).15
34. Bairiuken Kiyotoki # worked in the Kenjo style (whether this artist is identical with Bairiuken Kiyonaga, also a Kenjo Master, remains doubt- ful).16 He worked at the turn of the 18th century.17
35. Shigeharu I belonged to the same school.18 A tsuba of his described in the J. C. Hawkshaw Coll. (Cat. No. 1520) is dated Kayei (1848-1854). He worked in Heianjo (Kyoto) of Yamashiro Province.
36. Hara states that Yasuchika V in his 65th year still called himself Kunichika. An inscription on a kozuka in the J. C. Hawkshaw Coll. 19 indicates that he was still
doing this in his 67th year. 37. The fuchi-kashira dated Tempo 1 (1830) (Cat. No. 2047) in the J. C. Hawkshaw Coll. allows the working period of Seiseisai Masatoki to be more precisely fixed."
38. Joka Terukatsu,2 is not identical with either the Chozaburo or Hioji Terukatsu listed by Hara.3 A fuchi signed by Ooka Terukatsu in the J. C. Hawkshaw Coll. bears the date Bunkiu 2 (1862).4
39. Muneyoshi,5 of the Yegawa family, who lived in the Sakuragawa district of Edo, dated two shakudo tsuba of the J. C. Hawkshaw Coll1. (Cat. Nos. 2193 and 2193 A of Plate XXXVI) Kayei 5 (1852) and an iron tsuba of the same collection (Cat. No. 2192, Plate XXXVI) Ansei 6 (1859/1860).
40. Also, the artist Moriiye,6 ascribed to the Shoami School by Joly, is not mentioned by Hara. An iron tsuba signed by this Master in the J. C. Hawkshaw Coll. (Cat. No. 2309) is dated Tempo 4 (1833).
41. Sakamaki Shisen 7 who is not identical with the Shizen (= Buzen) listed by Hara on page 6 at the end of column 2, dated a fuchi-kashira in the J. C. Hawkshaw Coll. (Cat. No. 2888, Plate III) Bunkwa 6, 6th month (1809).
42 Sadamoto, of the Okawa family, 8 still lived, as an inscription on an iron tsuba in the J. C. Hawkshaw Coll. (Cat. No. 2907) proves, "at the age of 67 years," in 1895. 43. Koyōtei Giōkō (Joly reads Yukiteru) dated a tsuba Tempo 5 (1834). 44. Ga(n)gaku Masayuki 2,10 is not identi- cal with Riōyei of the Fujiki family mentioned by Hara, 11 but is rather a Master of the Ishiguro School, as the tsuba coming from him 12 and reproduced on Plate X of the G. H. Naunton Coll. catalog proves.13 He worked in the first third of the 19th century.
Herewith let there be an end to this first compila- tion of the completion of data, 14 and of remarks on Hara's work. A continuation of this task involving the treatment of other, so far not mentioned, English collections, of the collection of Martin Kuznitzky of Cologne, and of still other collections remains reserved for the future. May the work so far done lend renewed impulse to interest in these most precious examples of the application of Japanese art.