Ranzan Tsuneyuki Fuchi Kashira

[Babu]

Hi all, this is my first post and it's relating to an item of Fuchi and kashira.

The Fuchi is (if I'm correct) signed Shinryusai Ranzan Tsuneyuki Carved.

Description to me is:

 

Fuchi:

A Narrow tsuboguchi - gata in polished chocolate brown shibuichi of a delicate Kebori landscape in low relief. Shibuichi bamboo on which is displayed the underside of a shakudo and gold firefly (hotaru) (thank you George) Inscribed on the tenjo in Sosho writing shinryusai Ranzan Tsuneyuki Carved.

 

Kashira:

Polished, on a chocolate brown shibuichi kashira upon which is an Iroye of copper, shakudo, silver and Gold is Fukurokuju seated upon his oxen. The beast has a silver flower in its harness. Shakudo Shitodome are fitted.

 

It was passed on to me as an unrecorded maker yet research indicated that this artist may have changed his name many times and I managed to find in the Metropolitan museum a hand drawn book of metalwork designs by (or I would expect copied by) Ranzan Tsuneyuki.

Whilst going through the pages I found the design for this fuchi.

It didn't show the kashira so I think there must have been some form of poetic licence in what the artist decided to pair with what selecting fuchi then looking through designs to see what would work on this occasion and perhaps for this client. Any thoughts on this being a possibility?

Thank you Adam (please forgive the poor images)

[Tanto54]

Dear Adam,

 

Welcome and excellent research!  I wish all first time posters tried as hard as you to find out more about their treasures before posting.  To assist you along the way in additional research, the bug is a firefly (hotaru) instead of a hornet.  The "driver" of the ox is Fukurokuju (one of the Seven Gods of Fortune).

[Babu]

Thank you George the post has been edited.

Regards Adam

[Tanto54]

Dear Adam,

 

Looks like the mei matches the example in Sesko's book and I've included the Haynes entry.

 

As for the combination of Fukurokuju and Hotaru, a possibility is that Fukurokuju was considered the embodiment of the Southern Polar Star and had the ability to raise the dead.  Hotaru (fireflies) have similar connections.  As for the Ox, it could be a play on the famous poet (who road around on an ox), Botanka Shohaku.  Perhaps, you could research whether he wrote a poem about fireflies.

 

 

[Babu]

Very interesting George and thank you again you have helped me immeasurably.

 

In the second month of 1488, the poet Sogi (1421-1502) and his major disciples Botanka Shohaku (1443-1527) and Saiokuken Socho (1448-1532) composed one of the most famous of all renga to honor the memory of Emperor Go-toba (1180-1239), whose spring tanka written at Minase (the site of his detached palace) served as their initial inspiration.

Several verses refer to an insect in the grasses or chirping on a leaf so this makes good sense.

I would love to find more of his work, but he seems to have not been very prolific.

Regards Adam

[Tanto54]

Dear Adam (and Ned),

 

I'm sure that your fuchi is a play or parody on Botanka Shohaku.  Please see the attached parody painting by Utagawa Toyokuni (1769-1825) of a Courtesan as Botanka Shohaku.  Notice the flower in the ox's harness just like your fuchi.  I've also seen woodblock prints of this same subject (parody of a courtesan as Botanka Shohaku).  I haven't read his poems in a long time, but many times fireflies are allusions for Samurai and the swarms of fireflies are often compared to the Genpei Wars.   Fireflies are believed to be the spirits of warriors who fell in battle (a metaphor also used in the story “Grave of the Fireflies”). 

 

[Babu]

Thanks Tanto. Very interesting.

I'll pop it into the for sale or swap area. Regards Adam

[Babu]

I have had some help from Marcus on this and he has said the mei reads Ōju (應需), which means “made on request.” Ranzan Tsuneyuki.

So a special order which I thought it might be.

Just added for future research reference for somebody.