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Nakagawa Hidekuni (Aka Tenkodo / Kinryusai / Kawarabayashi)


Gabriel L

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Recently got this small kinko tsuba as a souvenir of my trip to Japan.
  • Mei: Nakagawa Hidekuni 仲川秀國
  • Era: mid 1800s
  • Dimensions: 2.25" x 2.5"
  • Materials: shibuichi ground with gold, silver, shakudo, and copper details
  • Subject: Mt. Fuji with clouds, dragon, and trees
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The signature of "Nakagawa Hidekuni" (using the "Nakagawa" from his birth father, but "Hidekuni" from his teacher Hideoki) is unusual, judging from examples I have found online. That coupled with the workmanship makes me suspect that this piece may have been a relatively early one from Hidekuni's career, but that is just a suspicion.
 
Artist Info
 
Other Signatures
  • Kawarabayashi Hidekuni 川原林秀國
  • Kawa Hidekuni 川秀國
  • Tenkōdō Hidekuni 天光堂秀國
  • Kinryūsai Hidekuni 金龍斎秀國

Biography
  • 文政八年三月十日 (1825-04-27 Wed.) born Daizō 代蔵 in Yonago 米子, Hōki
  • Assisted his father, a kinkō artist of whom only the name Nakagawa 仲川 is known
  • Ca. 1843 at age 18 he moved to Kyōto to study under Kawarabayashi Hideoki 川原林秀興 (note, Hideoki was a student of the famous Ōtsuki Mitsuoki 光興, one of the Kyōto Sansaku)
  • Married Hideoki’s second daughter and was adopted into the Kawarabayashi family
  • In 1851 when Hidekuni was ca. age 26, Hideoki passed away
  • (Date unknown) son Hideyoshi 秀睦 born, became the 3rd and last artist of this line
  • 明治二十四年九月二十七日 (1891-09-27 Sunday) Hidekuni passed away at age 67
Notes
 
After his gō (e.g. Kinryūsai or Tenkōdō) he often signed Kawa Hidekuni 川秀國, which intersects with both his birth and adopted family names Nakagawa 仲川 and Kawarabayashi 川原林. He seems to have collaborated several times with other Hideoki students including Gassan Matsuo. In addition to fittings he made incense burners, inro, and other items.
 
Quotes
 
"Kawarabayashi Hideoki…closely resembled Mitsuoki, but never attained to his skill, though he taught his adopted son, Hidekuni (who worked in Kyōto and Ōsaka…), to be a greater artist than himself." 
Japanese Sword Guards, Okabe Kakuya
 
"…his carving technique had a more delicate feeling than that of his teacher, Hideoki". 
Nihonto.com, Fred Weissberg
 
"Other great students in [the Ōtsuki Mitsuoki] school were Tokuoki, Hideoki, Minayama Oki, Tenkodo Hidekuni, Matsuo Gassan, and his son Mitsuhiro." 
Yuhindo.com, Darcy Brockbank

Resources

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(PS — It is a popular motif of course; I was partly drawn to it because during my trip I glimpsed Mt. Fuji partly obscured by clouds, but also I was reminded of this famous print by Ogata Gekko, Ryu Shoten.)

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