Three tsuba (sword guards)

Edo period (1615-1868) and Showa era (1926–1989), 19th/20th century

Edo period (1615-1868) and Showa era (1926–1989), 19th/20th century
The first brightly patinated copper mokko with a hammered-up rim, boldly chased and inlaid in gold and silver with a shishi on each side, with peonies on the obverse, the hitsuana plugged with nekogaki ('cat scratch') gilt metal, signed Morihira with a kao (see footnote); the second copper, oval, each side chased and inlaid in shakudo and silver with a huge Mount Fuji-shaped wave with birds in flight, unsigned; the third iron with a raised rim, chased with rough waves and an anchor and inlaid with gold and silver cherry blossoms, the ryohitsu plugged with shakudo, unsigned; each with a wood storage box. The smallest: 7.6cm (3in); the largest: 8.6cm (3 3/8in). (6).

Yanagawa Morihira (1899–1971) carried on the Mito metalworking into the middle of the twentieth century; the style of this shishi also recalls the work of other artists inspired by the nationalistic, warlike spirit of the 1930s; compare for example a round box by Nihashi Yoshihira (1896-1977), dated 1930, reproduced in Kendall H. Brown, Deco Japan: Shaping Art and Culture, 1920-1945, Alexandria, Va., Art Services International, 2012, cat.no.23. For Yanagawa Morihira, see Robert E. Haynes, The Index of Japanese Sword Fittings and Associated Artists, Ellwangen, Germany, Nihon Art Publishers, 2001, H05664.0.