NihontoWatchNihontoWatchKOZUKA NARA JOI (KAO) TEKKAI SENNIN From Joly’s Legend in Japanese Art”. Tekkai Chinese Sennin, Li T’ieh Kwai Sien Sheng, one of the eight chief immortals of Taoist lore. He is depicted as a man of beggarly appearance and repulsive face, blowing his spirit into space in the form of a miniature figure, which is seen on the reverse side of the kozuka. The entire story can be found in Joly’s page 527. (Thanks to Irina Solo for pointing out the depiction). Sugiura Joi was one of the Nara Sansaku or three great masters along with Tsuchiya Yasuchika and Nara Toshinaga. Joi was his Nyudo go after he entered the priesthood, prior to that he signed Nagaharu. While doing research on this kozuka, I found there to be discrepancies even between the ones in the reference materials, especially with the Kao. Every one of them looked different. ??? Courtesy of Sesko’s: Sugiura Jōi (杉浦乗意) Sugiura Jōi – first name was „Tashichi“ (太七) and later „Sen´emon“ (仙右衛門) – was born in the 14th year of Genroku (1701) as the son of a retainer of the Toda-Matsudaira family (戸田松平) in their lands (i.e. the Kanō fief, 加納藩) in Mino province. The Toda – or at least some branches of them – were transferred several times during the early years of the Kyōhō era (1716-1736) and that is how Jōi came to Edo to work at the Toda-Matsudaira depot in the Fukugawa district (深川). As a Matsudaira branch and therefore related to the Tokugawa family, the Toda took an active part in the bakufu government. The transmission says that he studied under Nara Toshinaga (寿永) and on the recommendation of Toshinaga (利永), the 4th gen. Nara mainline, he was allowed to use the character „naga“ (永) and the family name „Nara“. Upon this he took the name „Nagaharu“ (永春) and „Jōi“ was his nyūdō-gō after entering priesthood. He also used the pseudonyms „Issan“ (一蝅) and „Issandō“ (一蝅堂), whereas he also signed the „san“ (蝅) character in the uncommon variant (蠺). He sometimes also signed the name „Nara“ with the characters (南良). Sugiura Jōi made many fuchigashira and kozuka, tsuba are rather rare. He worked mainly in polished shibuchi and never in shakudō with nanako ground. His strong points were the techniques of shishiaibori (肉合彫) and sukisagebori (鋤下彫), that means a bas-relief where the ground plate and the highest points of the motif are about level. This interpretation was later adopted by the Hamano school and the Mito-kinkō. Sugiura Jōi died on the 24th day of the seventh month of Hōreki eleven (1761) at the age of 61. *Sadly, there are no papers for this kozuka. As with any un-papered item, all information regarding the mei is a simple translation of what is inscribed on the item. This and any other information given such a school history, etc., is done so as a courtesy only and is not an opinion, indication, or guarantee of it being shoshin or anything for that matter. (see policy page). If you wish to assume anything, assume it is gimei. No guarantee or warranty shall be given or implied. All un-papered items are sold “as is” and sales are final. Items which are not accompanied by kanteisho (papers) are assumed gimei and valued based upon the quality of work seen in said item. If you are more concerned with papers or mei than the work, then please do your own research prior to purchase. Do your research PRIOR to purchase and make a purchase only if you are satisfied that you can live with your decision as again these sales are final. All I can say with certainty is that this is a beautiful kozuka. Although there are no papers with this work, the quality of the work and the quality of the mei lead me to believe the probability of this work being shoshin is very high.
Offered by Yakiba
Our records attribute this piece to Sugiura Joi, a maker with Jūyō-designated work, and we couldn’t find current papers for it. Treat the attribution as unproven until papers say otherwise. The dealer itself notes doubts about the signature, which is honest; please still treat the name as unproven. It is also priced far below papered work by makers of this standing. — Hoshi Ask me first
80 on the market
Sugiura Joi
Edo
Mino
Signed
Machibori · Edo
1 piece on the market now
Sugiura Joi (1701-1761), known by the art name Issando, trained under Juei in the lineage of Nara Toshiharu and rose to become one of the celebrated "Three Masters of Nara" (Nara sansaku) alongside Toshihisa and Yasuchika. Born in Genroku 14, he also used the names Sen'emon and Eishun throughout his career. His place within this triumvirate secured his lasting reputation as one of the foremost independent metalworkers of the mid-Edo period, working outside the patronage structures that governed the Goto house.
Joi is most closely identified with nikuaibori, a modulated relief-carving technique he developed into a personal specialty of unrivaled refinement. Through subtle variations in height and volume, he coaxed remarkably expressive surfaces from bare metal grounds, often completing entire compositions through chisel work alone, dispensing with zogan (inlay) and iroe (colored metal accents). His preferred format was the kozuka, where nikuaibori found its fullest expression on oborogin polished grounds. He also employed kebori (fine line engraving) for textures such as fur and flowing water, and incisive katakiribori for sharp geological forms. When he did turn to inlaid techniques, as in his fuchi-kashira sets on brass or plain copper (suaka) grounds, his takabori (high relief) and sukidashi-bori displayed equal mastery, with precisely modulated gold and shakudo inlay enhancing the sculptural depth.
Joi's tsuba are recognized as extremely rare, making any authenticated example a significant survival. His most celebrated subject, the lion casting its cub into Chigiri Valley, exists in closely related versions across multiple designations and is published in the canonical reference Tagane no Hana. Whether rendering the anxious gaze of a parent lion or the lively expressions of Chinese boys at play, Joi's work is distinguished by its immediacy and the sheer expressive authority of his chisel.
Where Joi stands among comparable artisans: across all of nihontō, and within tradition, era, and period. The tiers (Foremost · Leading · Major · Notable) weigh official designations from the NBTHK and Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs, together with historical honors of lasting repute such as the Sansaku and Meibutsu-chō.
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Machibori · Edo
80 pieces on the market now
The Nara school of kinko (metalwork) emerged in the mid-Edo period as one of the most celebrated independent traditions of sword-fitting craftsmanship, its masters working outside the patronage structures that governed the Goto house. The school coalesced around the figure of Nara Toshihisa (1667--1736), also known as Tahee, who as head master during its creative zenith defined the mature idiom of the lineage. Though the school's origins are often traced through the successive generations of the Nara family beginning with Toshiharu, its lasting fame rests upon the Nara sansaku — the Three Masters of Nara: Toshihisa, Tsuchiya Yasuchika, and Sugiura Joi. " Joi (1701--1761), trained under Juei in the lineage of Toshiharu, rose to become the third pillar of this triumvirate. Together, and joined by masters of allied lineages such as Hayashi Shigemitsu of the Higo kinko tradition, the Nara school and its circle represent the highest achievement of independent metalwork in the Edo period. The collective technical vocabulary of the Nara school encompasses an extraordinary breadth of materials and methods. Its masters worked in iron, shakudo, shibuichi, brass (shinchu), refined copper (suaka), and oborogin, treating surfaces as polished grounds (migaki-ji), hammered textures (tsuchime-ji), and stone-grain finishes (ishime-ji) — the latter developed by Toshihisa into a distinctive personal manner. The school's carving methods span the full spectrum: sukidashi-bori modeled relief, takabori high relief, the thread-fine line work of kebori, and the single-stroke katakiribori incision. " Yet individual specialties distinguish the masters within this shared vocabulary.
Toshihisa's art finds its fullest expression in sukidashi takabori — relief carving in which figures are raised with subtly graduated heights to produce an illusion of spatial depth — executed against his richly textured ishime-ji grounds. Joi developed nikuaibori, a modulated relief technique of unrivaled refinement, producing entire compositions through chisel work alone on polished oborogin grounds, dispensing with inlay and colored-metal accents. Yasuchika's range is perhaps the broadest, encompassing the distinctive daigaku-gata iron tsuba conceived for his patron and kozuka that "draw forth a small universe" within a confined surface, while his late works signed with the art name Tou achieve an austere, detached realm the NBTHK terms kotan. The legacy of the Nara school rests on the singular ability of its masters to transcend decorative function and achieve genuine artistic expression within the confines of sword fittings. Toshihisa, as the senior figure among the sansaku, established the standard of dignified, powerfully carved relief against richly textured grounds, and his figural subjects — gamecocks, tigers, Bishamonten — consistently achieve what NBTHK scholarship identifies as the philosophical duality of do (movement) and sei (stillness) within a single composition. " Joi, working primarily in the intimate format of the kozuka, achieved expressive authority through the sheer subtlety of his nikuaibori chisel work — his celebrated lion-and-cub compositions existing in closely related versions across multiple designations and published in the canonical reference Tagane no Hana. That the school also attracted masters of allied provincial traditions — Hayashi Shigemitsu of Higo, whose iron tsuba display the characteristic murasaki-sabi patina and "somewhat gentler feeling" that distinguishes the second generation from the founder Matahichi — attests to its gravitational influence on Edo-period metalwork as a whole. Across the school's production, the NBTHK's evaluative language converges on a consistent theme: compositional intelligence, technical command across the full range of materials and carving methods, and an expressive depth that elevates the finest works from accomplished craft to art of the highest order. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Yasuchika安親 | — | 87 |
| Toshinaga利寿 | — | 30 |
| Joi乗意 | — | 12 |
| Minzan谺珉山 | — | 1 |
| Toshiyoshi利善 | — | 0 |
We could not find an authenticity certificate on the seller’s listing. Japanese swords and fittings are normally papered by the NBTHK (or the NTHK). Without one, the attribution is the seller’s own assessment and has not been independently verified — treat it with caution and ask the dealer about certification before buying.
All swords sold for $5000 USD or less are considered final! Swords above the $5000 range may be returned for any reason within 48 hrs. Buyer will receive a full refund minus shipping/handling, insurance and or any fees incurred in shipping or sale.
$1,200