NAOYUKI: A SHIBUICHI KOZUKA WITH SUMO WRESTLERS

HAMANO NAOYUKI: A GOLD-INLAID SHIBUICHI KOZUKA WITH TWO SUMO WRESTLERS
By Hamano Naoyuki (1745-1819), signed Naoyuki with kakihan
Japan, Musashi province, late 18th to early 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)

Finely chiseled in low relief with two sumo wrestlers engaged in a match, one grasping the other's neck, both with inlaid loincloths, one with gold and the other with shakudo and gold, their body hair and facial features minutely incised, the reverse with the signature NAOYUKI and kakihan.

LENGTH 9.6 cm
WEIGHT 35.4 g

Condition: Excellent condition with only minor surface wear.
Provenance: British private collection.

Hamano Naoyuki (1745-1819) lived in Musashi province and studied under Hamano Noriyuki and is listed in Toso Kinko Jiten by Takeshi Wakayama, p. 479-480.