Page 15 - Bonhams Royal Collection Fine Japanese Art London Nov. 2019

2 *
MYŌCHIN YOSHIHISA 明珍吉久
IRON ARTICULATED MODEL OF A TOAD
蝦蟇自在鉄置物
Edo Period (1615–1868) or Meiji era (1868–1912), 19th century

A small articulated model of a toad, finely constructed from russet- Provenance:
iron hammered plates with hidden joints inside the body, the limbs Christie’s New York, 18 April 2018, lot 110
movable, the details finely hammered and decorated with stripes inlaid
in gold, the eyes inlaid in shakudō; signed on the underside of the £10,000 - 15,000
body Echizen no jū Myōchin Yoshihisa saku 越前住明珍吉久作 JPY1,300,000 - 1,900,000
(Made by Myōchin Yoshihisa of Echizen [Province]) US$12,000 - 18,000

3.2cm x 4.1cm (1¼in x 1⅝in) The Myōchin family was the most successful of the numerous
dynasties of professional armourers that originated in late-medieval
With fitted wood tomobako inscribed outside Echizen no jū Myōchin Japan. In the Edo period (1615–1868) the family opened branches not
Yoshihisa saku bunchin 越前住明珍吉久作文鎮 (Paperweight made just in the major cities but also in the main towns of many provincial
by Myōchin Yoshihisa of Echizen [Province]); with inscription inside fiefs, where they manufactured vast quantities of the cuirasses,
An’ei san aki Fushimi ni oite Hirooka Kyūemon kenjō 安永三秋於伏見 helmets, face masks, and other components that were needed
廣岡久右衛門献上 (Presented in 1774 at Fushimi [Kyoto] to Hirooka for samurai armour. Myōchin craftsmen were highly skilled in using
Kyūemon) (2) tiny rivets to join multiple iron plates, creating protection that was
both relatively light and highly flexible; over time, they adapted their
traditional skills to make ingenious and astonishingly lifelike articulated
models of snakes, fishes, crustaceans, and insects. The first Myōchin
Yoshihisa (thought to have died in 1664) was followed by several
generations of armourers who also made articulated animals at least
until the end of the Edo period; see Harada 2016, p. 225.

For details of the charges payable in addition to the final Hammer Price of each Lot
please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue. A ROYAL COLLECTION | 13