Page 137 - Edo: Art in Japan, 1615–1868

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Sword accessories with Niôfigures: Sword guard with grape arbor and
Kozuka and menuki a squirrel
Early eighteenth century Eighteenth century
Shakudo, copper, and gold (silver?) Brass, copper, and shakudó
7
Length of kozuka 9.8 (3 /s) Height 8.2 (3 V 4)
Kyoto National Museum Tokyo National Museum
Important Cultural Property
• The ground of this sword guard is
• The sword accessories known as of shinchü, a form of brass, minutely
/utatokoromono (literally "things of two hammered to resemble the surface of
places") consist of the kozuka, or hilt stone. The grapevine and squirrel motif
I 3 6
for a utility knife, and two menuki was popular in various art forms
ornaments, which were fixed at each and recurs particularly on iron sword
side of a sword hilt to aid the grip. guards of Nagato province (currently
The futatokoromono seen here are Yamaguchi Prefecture), where this
decorated with the Nió figures that piece was made. The inlays of brass,
guard the gates of Buddhist temples. copper, and shakudó are patinated to
The menuki were hammered out over a rich variety of colors, especially
forms of pitch, then sculpted and remarkable for what is metallurgically
inlaid with colored metals. The figure almost wholly copper. The use of
on the kozuka was made in the same brass as a base dates from the Muro-
way, then pinned to a base of sha- machi period, when imported brass
kudô.The open-mouthed guardian, Chinese vessels (inscribed to the
which represents the yang principle, Xuande era, 1426-1435) were highly
was placed on the outer side of the admired but Japanese metallurgists
hilt and was visible when the sword were not yet able to reproduce the
was worn. The closed-mouth figure, alloy. During the Momoyama period
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representing yin, was placed on the brass was so prized that iron sword
inside. guards inlaid with the metal were for
a time preferred to those using gold.
This set is signed "Sómin." The maker,
Yokoya Sómin, originally studied the The inscription reads "Nagato Hagi
Goto style of clan carving under his ju Nakai Zensuke Tomotsune saku."
father, Sóyó, who had been retained The maker, Zensuke Tomotsune, was
by the government to make sword the grandson of the first Tomotsune
fittings. Sómin set up an independent of Nagato (Chóshü province, present-
studio and is recognized as the found- day Yamaguchi Prefecture), who
ing figure of the town carvers, depict- had come from the neighboring Suo
ing the old subjects with a fresh and province and was seventh generation
fashionable approach and finding new of the known Nakai family. Zensuke
subjects in popular art. Sómin used was retained by the governing Mori
the designs of painters such as Kano clan. He died about 1779 or 1780 in
Tan'yü and Hanabusa Itchó, and is his middle eighties. VH
credited with the first use of oblique
line engraving (katakiri bori), whereby
brushstrokes could be simulated on
metal. VH