Page 154 - Bonhams Fine Japanese Art London Nov. 2019

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AN IMPORTANT EARLY PAIR OF BRONZE USUBATA Based on Chinese bronze forms but with exaggeratedly wide rims,
(‘THIN-RIMMED’) VASES usubata were first cast in Japan during in the seventeenth century for
By Tamagawa Mitsukiyo, Meiji era (1868-1912), circa 1880 formal flower arrangements; then, during the early Meiji era, elaborate
A pair of usubata (‘thin-rimmed’) vases, each in three parts comprising multi-part usubata became one of the favoured forms of bronze
a base, a main body and a rim; of cast, patinated and polished bronze destined for international exhibitions and the global export market.
with relief decoration and details in copper, silver and gold; the bases Most were manufactured in the cities of Takaoka (Etchu Province)
with extensive flower, bird and cloud ornament in silver-wire inlay, and Kanazawa (Kaga Province); the little-known bronze master
formed as a larger flanged circular foot with three openwork lotus- Tamagawa Mitsukiyo is recorded as having been active in both centres
throne components supporting a smaller circular socketed stand; the and another single usubata by him is preserved in the Takaoka City
bodies (applied with separately cast stylized openwork floral handles) Museum of Art; see https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/187077
each with figural designs derived from woodblock-printed books and https://www.e-tam.info/gallery.html; also Torita Sogo,
(see below) within a cloud-shaped or scalloped border, above a base ‘Takaoka doki no chokin giho (Metal Carving Techniques Used in
decorated with bird-scarers, lotuses, spider’s webs and snakes; the the Takaoka Bronze Casting)’, Takaoka Tanki Daigaku kiyo (Bulletin
broad rims with wave and floral motifs around the edges, their upper of Takaoka National College, 20 (March 2005), p.258 (accessible at
surfaces with anthropomorphic foxes enjoying a feast and a cherry- https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/70325420.pdf).
blossom outing; each signed on the base Kashu Tamagawa tsukuru Metalworkers at this time frequently added to the exotic appeal of
(Made by Tamagawa of Kaga Province) with a distinctive kao (cursive their creations by using motifs drawn from popular woodblock-printed
monogram). Each 48cm (18 7/8in) high; illustrated books; in this case the spooky matched scenes on one
the rims 30.2cm (11 7/8in) diameter. side of each vase, featuring two Buddhist saints, Mikazuki Shonin
and Yuten Osho, haunted respectively by the ghouls Kikujogarei and
£25,000 - 30,000 Kasane no enkon, are taken from vol. 10, pp.34-5 of Hokusai manga
JPY3,300,000 - 4,000,000 (1819), Katsushika Hokusai’s encyclopedic series of design sketches,
US$31,000 - 37,000 see Hashimoto Osamu (intro.), Katsushika Hokusai Hokusai Manga
(The Complete Hokusai-Manga Sketchbooks), Tokyo, Shogakukan,
2005, pp.586-7 (as illustrated on the next page).

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