for forumites in or near Tôkyô

[Guido]

A colleague in Tôkyô just forwarded the attachment to me - looks like a great opportunity to get some insights into traditional metal work in general and more specific Kodôgu.

[John A Stuart]

If anyone does go to this lecture could they pick up a couple of copies of the hand-outs for which I would send postage fees to get a copy. The fittings info would be great. I've seen some of these articulated models before and they are amazing. Apparently this is one of the areas where metalworkers found a way to make a living after the sword ban. What a treat. John

[myochin]

I would also be interested in a copy of a handout and I am also willing to pay costs.

Please e-mail me if anyone can do so.

 

Many thanks,

Paul.

[Brian]

Wow..that looks like an awesome talk.

We SA'frican collectors consider ourselves extremely lucky to have had Roger Robertshaw visit a few times lately while doing his long haul flights.

During these visits, we had the remarkable opportunity to handle and study more than one of these articulated artworks (Jizai?)

Words can't describe how amazing they are in hand. There are mediocre ones out there I know (late Edo) but the ones we saw are masterpieces done by the Myochin artists. Everyone commented how "alive" they feel. When picking one up, it almost wraps itself around your arm. Feels like it has a heartbeat. Those that know them well..will know what I am talking about. I found them even more amazing than swords at the time.

Perhaps these deserve their own thread, if anyone has much experience with them.

Anyways..all of this just to say that the lecture sounds highly interesting.

 

Brian

[Jean]

I remember Robert Burawoy having a splendid articulate snake

[myochin]

There was a Jizai Okimono exhibition at the Tokyo National Museum in September 2008:

Jizai Okimono - Articulated iron figures of animals

特集陳列　自在置物―本物のように自由に動かせる昆虫や蛇

 

They also published a nice catalogue for the event.

 

Paul.

[Henry Wilson]

Is the email address

 

S900026@section.metro.tokyo.jp

 

If it does not appear to work.

[Guido]

The Japanese version gives the e-mail address as S9000026@section.metro.tokyo.jp, seems they missed a 0 in the English part.

[Henry Wilson]

Thanks Guido. Email has been sent.

 

Do you have a copy of the Japanese version? If so could you attach it?

[Guido]

Henry, the scan I got is a huge pdf that I can't post; here are screenshots of the relevant parts:

[myochin]

Did anyone attend the lecture last night ?

Interesting ?

 

Thanks for the update,

Paul.

[Eric H]

For those who are not familiar with the Art of these marvelous articulated masterpieces, here some examples from the Lundgren Collection, at Christie's 1997.

 

SNAKE signed Muneyoshi (Myochin) - Meiji - 125 cm - Estimate $13,000-16,000 - unsold

DRAGON signed Myochin Ki no Muneakira, dated 1713 - 143 cm - Estimate $ 81,000-110,000 - unsold

SHACHI Kozan sei Muneyoshi - late 19th/early 20th c - 61 cm - Estimate $ 33,000-48,000 - unsold

 

Eric

[Henry Wilson]

I attended the lecture on Friday evening. I was very pleased with it as it was very professionally presented, with great translators. It was primarily based on Edo period Tosogu with only a little time dedicated to Jizai Okimono.

 

It started with a detailed run down of the development of tosogu frm the Heian period through to the end of Meiji and then onto the production of Jizai mono.

 

There was a slide show that was used to illustrate main lecture points and then at the end there was a nice collection of tosogu, a nice koshirae and few Jizai mono to handle and hold.

 

Their were no magor revelations or ground breaking dsicoveries announced and it was more a very thorough basic introdution to tosogu with a side line on Jizai mono. No handouts were avaiable but if you have read the classic texts on the subject you will have got most of what the lecture was on.

 

Persoanlly I thought it was great as it drove home a a few points and it helped consolidate a lot of what I have read. I hope they have more such lectures and that I get an invite.