Osaki Yoshichika

[docliss]

Does any member have any information regarding OSAKI YOSHICHIKA?

 

I have in my possession a very fine pair of fuchi-gashira signed by this artist. Against a background of polished, dark brown shibuichi is depicted, in a high relief iroye of copper, shakudō, silver and gold, the folk tale of Yorimasa and the Nuye. On the fuchi the hero, with a copper face, is struggling with a tiger with a serpent’s tale. On the kashira Yorimasa holds a torch with copper flames in his right hand and his bow in his left.

 

It is inscribed 大 埼 善 近 with kao, although the second kanji is the alternative form with three final, vertical strokes as shown on p.360 of Koop and Inada.

 

This is outstanding Mito work but, surprisingly, I can find no reference to this artist in any of my reference books. In Haynes’ Index there are several artists of this name but none using these kanji, and Haynes seems to prefer the reading of ‘zen’ to that of ‘yoshi’ for the third kanji. Kinkō Meikan illustrates the signature and kao of Osaki Yoshiaki on p.206a, although there is no mention of this artist in Haynes. Both artists use the same kanji for ‘yoshi’ and the two kao are not dissimilar. I therefore presume that these two artists must be related to one another.

 

Any and all suggestions will be gratefully received, John L.

[Curran]

Dear John,

 

If you have a photo of the signature, please post it.

Your f/k sounds similar in construction to a tsuba I sold earlier this year.

 

Curran

[docliss]

Dear Curran

 

Herewith the photographs you requested.

 

Regards, John L.

[Ludolf Richter]

Hi John,there is no such artist to be found in the index and some other books.Not even the "Bible" (Iida/Wakayama-"Kinko Jiten") does have one with these Kanji.3 possibilities:

1.He is an artist of the 2nd half of the 20th century

2.He ia a hitherto not known artist

3.It is a known artist but this Go is not known hizerto

I have checked the other meanings besides "Yoshi"(zen,taru and sa):no match.

Ludolf

[nagamaki - Franco]

hi,

 

Pardon my asking, why is this Mito work and not other?

 

Nice set, thanks for sharing.

[docliss]

Dear Franco, in reply to your query ‘why Mito?’ ...

 

The city of Mito, in Hitachi province, was the home of many skilled metalworkers from the late C17 onwards; that it was the seat of an important branch of the Shōgunal family is likely to be one reason for this. There were numerous family groups working in Mito, the most important of which were the Sekijōken, Kōami, Hitotsuyanagi and Yegawa, together with a number of independent artists.

 

The style of Mito artists was influenced by the teaching of their Yokoya and Nara masters, and there was considerable movement between the many groups. Thus there is a general similarity in their work, although they retain some individuality. Robinson describes their work generally as being ‘fertile in invention, varied in treatment and brilliant in execution’.

 

They worked both in iron and in the soft-metal alloys, and produced both tsuba and the smaller fittings. They tended to favour as subjects the many myths and legends of Japan, many of which are depicted in skilful and delicate iroye. A common impression upon viewing Mito work is o of ‘brightness’.

 

My conviction that the tsuba by Osaki Yoshichika is Mito work is compounded by the fact that Kinkō Meikan states that Osaki Yoshiaki — surely related to the former artist — studied under the Hitotsuyanagi. If you require further evidence of the quality of the work, examine the soldering around the margins of the tenjō

 

I am sure that many of the message board’s more knowledgeable contributors will be able to considerably modify this entry.

 

Regards, John L.

[nagamaki - Franco]

Hi John,

 

Thank you very much for the informative reply.

 

In attempting to pursue an answer to your question of who is this Mito Osaki Yoshichika, this inquiry has mustered up a bit of confusion for myself.

 

In viewing this fuchi kashira set, if not for the signature and statement in reference to Mito, I would have said this is high quality Hamano work with little hesitation. But, admittedly, I'm only just beginning to learn this subject matter of tosogu kantei.

 

It will be of interest to see where this goes.

[docliss]

Further to my query regarding Osaki Yoshichika, I have now found both a Yoshichika (H 11467.0) and a Yoshiaki (H 11418.0) in Haynes’ Index, both using an alternative kanji for ‘yoshi’( 美 instead of 善 ). Haynes gives Osaki as the family name of Yoshiaki, and notes that he died ca 1900 – 1920. Yoshichika is stated to have been a student of Tamagawa Yoshihisa.

 

Is it feasible that these two pairs of artists are the same, Yoshichika having changed his original ‘yoshi’ kanji of 善 to 美 after his studentship with Tamagawa Yoshihisa, and Yoshiaki having followed him in this?

 

Regards, John L.

[Curran]

Dear John,

 

I do not think I can add more here than you already know. In the past two years I've come across of highly talented artisans that are not listed in my references. I think Ludolph has even better resources than me.