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'YASUCHIKA'
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'YASUCHIKA'
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| Provenance: Robert E. Haynes Elliott D. Long |
$2400.00 |
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"This kozuka appears to be of shibuichi plate which now has a black lacquer surface that is probably original to the piece. The upper area is carved and inlaid with bold gold waves. The lower end is inlaid with an almost three dimensional mino-game, a sea turtle. The carapace of dark shibuichi and each section outlined in very fine silver wire flush inlay. The body is gold plate and carved in great detail. The reverse is carved with fine line "rain marks" following the vertical form of the plate. Bottom right is the signature: 'YASUCHIKA' (see H 11104.0). This is the signature of the "First Yasuchika". His signature has been exhaustively studied and it is illustrated in numerous books. The main points to notice are the size of the kanji, large and bold, and the power of the strokes. Though there are thousands of forgeries of this signature, when you see the real thing it will stand out to you. The first Yasuchika did not make many kozuka and this design does not seem to be recorded among them. The black lacquer may be accounted for by the fact that when mounted at some point the other mountings may have been of shakudo and the lacquer was added to match those fittings." (Haynes) "As the aesthetic tastes of the samurai developed, the demand shifted from the traditional fittings made by the main line Goto School to the fresh and innovative designs of machibori carvers such as Yasuchika. As they were not bound by the conventions of any school, machibori carvers had more artistic freedom in their designs. Specialty items such as this kozuka became popular among the wealthy patrons. This masterpiece was created by the 1st Yasuchika master, and his works are extremely rare." (Long) |
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How to Purchase this Kozuka: |
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A Collaboration of Robert E. Haynes and Elliott D. Long |
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