Menpo Akao Shuji

[jelda44]

Hello friends,
I would be interested in your opinion on this menpo.
I would welcome more information about the author Akao Shuji.

 

Arigato  

 

Jiri

[uwe]

His iron works are of good quality. Otherwise not much known about this guy. Late Edo period and his name can also be read as Kanetsugu. 
The menpō is very close to some examples of the Unkai school. High craftsmanship!

[Iekatsu]

Very nice work, a high quality piece. Looks like leather on the interior.

[jelda44]

Yes,
inside lacquered leather.

 

Jiri

[IBot]

Jiri,  Your mask is the same, except for the colour and leather lining, as one on an armour I own made by a Ki Yasukiyo in 1847. There are also minor differences in the yasuri mei but the flower on the chin and general shape are the same. Mine is inscribed 'Ki Yasukiyo' who describes himself as a pupil of 'KI Myochin Muneyasu'.  What does not make sense is that the masks signed by Munyasu look nothing like mine and yours. Myochin Muneyasu was a member of the Shonai Myochin who worked for the Tsuyama Clan in Musashi. His masks have a tear-drop shaped depression at the angle of the jaw. Despite being a Tsuyama retainer, Muneyasu seems to have made  armour for other families.  I have also seen the same style of your and my mask signed by a Myochin Munechika and one appeared in a sale in London signed by a Munekane.  Munekane turned to making tsuba later in his life but more importantly kept a diary in which he states that the maker of my mask, Yasukiyo, was really called Araji Katsuzo and that he came from Matsumoto in Nagato when he was 19 years old to study under Muneyasu.  He is recorded to have stayed with Muneyasu only 3 years before returning home. In all Muneyasu / Munekane had 18 pupils between 1834 and 1844, the youngest being 13 years old, the oldest 46. Now Yasukiyo could not have been trained as an armourer in 3 years so it looks as if Muneyasu ran a kind of finishing-school that taught the latest Edo styles, and that he didn't teach himself, but left the task to Munekane who seems to hav been his assistant. I assume your Kanetsugu was yet another pupil. I have found your Kanetsugu in the diary but his age and the date when he worked with Munekane are not recorded. He has however signed the mask with his original family and personal name and does not mention that he was taught the style by the Myochin which clearly he was.

Ian Bottomley

[jelda44]

21 hours ago, IBot said:

Jiri,  Your mask is the same, except for the colour and leather lining, as one on an armour I own made by a Ki Yasukiyo in 1847. There are also minor differences in the yasuri mei but the flower on the chin and general shape are the same. Mine is inscribed 'Ki Yasukiyo' who describes himself as a pupil of 'KI Myochin Muneyasu'.  What does not make sense is that the masks signed by Munyasu look nothing like mine and yours. Myochin Muneyasu was a member of the Shonai Myochin who worked for the Tsuyama Clan in Musashi. His masks have a tear-drop shaped depression at the angle of the jaw. Despite being a Tsuyama retainer, Muneyasu seems to have made  armour for other families.  I have also seen the same style of your and my mask signed by a Myochin Munechika and one appeared in a sale in London signed by a Munekane.  Munekane turned to making tsuba later in his life but more importantly kept a diary in which he states that the maker of my mask, Yasukiyo, was really called Araji Katsuzo and that he came from Matsumoto in Nagato when he was 19 years old to study under Muneyasu.  He is recorded to have stayed with Muneyasu only 3 years before returning home. In all Muneyasu / Munekane had 18 pupils between 1834 and 1844, the youngest being 13 years old, the oldest 46. Now Yasukiyo could not have been trained as an armourer in 3 years so it looks as if Muneyasu ran a kind of finishing-school that taught the latest Edo styles, and that he didn't teach himself, but left the task to Munekane who seems to hav been his assistant. I assume your Kanetsugu was yet another pupil. I have found your Kanetsugu in the diary but his age and the date when he worked with Munekane are not recorded. He has however signed the mask with his original family and personal name and does not mention that he was taught the style by the Myochin which clearly he was.

Ian Bottomley

Dear Ian,
thank you very much for your post.
Can you please attach a photo of your mask ?
From Akao Shuji, I only found this kabuto:

https://iidakoendo.com/1977/

Sincerely

Jiri

[Marc T]

Hello Jiri,

 

Beautiful mask you have here. No doubt about the similarity with the menpo from Munechika and other students of Muneyasu. If you check among this site Munechika or Munekane, you will find mempo similar to yours. Yours is quite unique as the inside is covered by leather. Very interesting .

 

Ian, you mentioned :  "Munekane turned to making tsuba later in his life". I have few tsuba of munechika/Munekane as well, but if it is at the end of his life, is there any specific reasons he didn't signed his tsuba with the kanji "記”　between 明珍　and 宗周？　To my understanding ,all the armors he made are signed 明珍記宗周。Same for mempo's and do's. But I haven't seen any of his tsuba signed 明珍記宗周. May be he made the tsuba at the early stage of his career?.

By any chance, would you have any informations on this point?

 

Many Thanks

[IBot]

Marc,  No, I do not know. All I can think of is that Ki is one of the old clan names from which Munekane is claiming to be a descendent of.  Whether he did or not, it is interesting that the maker of my armour, Yasukiyo, also claimed the same. Did they really all descend from the same ancestors - probably not. I suspect by the 19th century it had become just a convention.

Ian

[jelda44]

Tare added.
I just can't rotate the photo 

[Gilles]

Very nice mask, congratulations.

[Bazza]

 

 

Regards,

BaZZa.

[Marc T]

On 9/29/2022 at 5:54 PM, IBot said:

Marc,  No, I do not know. All I can think of is that Ki is one of the old clan names from which Munekane is claiming to be a descendent of.  Whether he did or not, it is interesting that the maker of my armour, Yasukiyo, also claimed the same. Did they really all descend from the same ancestors - probably not. I suspect by the 19th century it had become just a convention.

Ian

Thank you Ian. Kind regards.Marc

[waljamada]

Congrats, huge fan of that menpo!  Haven't seen one before fully decorated with linework like that.