Page 288 - JAPAN THE SHAPING OFDAIMYO CULTURE 1185-1868

background by a stream, holding a sickle 211 Sword guard right of the tang hole, Tou, one of Yasuchi-
and a rope of inlaid gold, with rushes at Tsuchiya Yasuchika (1670-1744) ka's artist names, is engraved in seal form
the left and the openwork moon half cov- copper with inlaid gold characters. HY
ered by clouds above. The reverse is deco- diam. 8.5(33/8)
rated with similar motifs, without the Edo period, i8th century 212 Sword guard
figure. The tang hole is flanked by open- Nara Toshinaga (1667-1736)
ings for the kozuka (small knife) and kdgai Miyazaki Kazue Collection, iron with inlaid gold
(skewerlike implement); to its left on the Kanagawa Prefecture diam. 7.4(27/8)
front is inscribed the name Tou, one of the Important Cultural Property Edo period, i8th century
artist names Yasuchika used in his later This oblate copper tsuba, an excellent ex-
years, when he lived in the Kanda area of ample of Tsuchiya Yasuchika's (cat. 210) Eisei Bunko, Tokyo
Edo. HY late work, has a skillfully carved openwork Important Cultural Property
design of a flock of plovers flying Nara Toshinaga is considered one of the
diagonally across the right with a drying three great metalworkers of the Nara
fishnet at the left. The design is given vari- school, the other two being Tsuchiya Yasu-
ety with the touches of inlaid gold, and the chika (1670-1744; cats. 210, 211) and Sug-
kozuka (small knife) and kdgai (skewer) iura Joi (1700-1761). He was active in the
holes are filled with plugs of gold. To the city of Edo during the mid-Edo period,

275