Matsushitatei Omori Style Fuchi/kashira

[JohnTo]

Can anyone help regarding the signature maker of this Omori style fuchi/kashira?  I bought this at a London auction back in 1975 and the signature was listed as Matsushitatei.  As the signature is in a flowing script I have had trouble confirming this.  I’m OK with the kanji for Matsu and Shita, but I have never found anything looking like the third kanji for Tei in any reference book.

The design of the fuchi/kashira is the classic Omori waves in shibuichi with highlights picked out in gold.  It is very similar to a larger example sold in the RB Caldwell collection, Sotheby’s 30 March, 1994, Lot 327 and signed Omori Teruhide.  I thus conclude that my fuchi/kashira was copied from a Teruhide design and must be one of the few copies of this type of work not actually inscribed ‘Teruhide’.

Matsushitatei, or a name like this, does not appear in the Omori school genealogy chart (Genealogies of Japanese tsuba and toso-kinko artists, Markus Sesko).  Of course Japanese artisans often changed their names several times in their careers, so he may be listed under a different name.

The only reference I can find to Matsushitatei is a mumei menuki with NBTHK Hozon paper attributing the work to ‘Goto Kenjyo (1586-1663), Matsushitatei school’.  However, his dates would probably be too early for this design (Omori Teruhide’s dates are 1730-1798).  Besides, there appears to be no link between the Goto school and this mysterious Matsushitatei school.

Can anyone provide information about this not-readily documented artist or school?

Best regards, John

[nagamaki - Franco]

This set, OT copy, at least to me has a Mito school flavor. Which many wave copies appear to be.