This is a kozuka featuring a design of butterflies in a stone ground, with gold wire cloisonné. It is a work by Hirata Haruhiro from the Edo era. The butterflies are depicted with glass cloisonné within the gold wires, using colors that cannot be replicated with current cloisonné techniques.
NihontoWatchEdo
Hirata-Edo Harunari
Edo
Tokuho (NBTHK)
Kinko · Edo
4 pieces on the market now
Hirata Harunari was the eighth-generation master of the Hirata school, a lineage founded by Hirata Donin (also recorded as Hirata Michihito), who was celebrated for expressing the sumptuous beauty of Momoyama-period art in sword fittings through the medium of shippo (cloisonne enamel). As hereditary specialists in service to the Edo shogunate, the Hirata house transmitted its enameling techniques across successive generations. Harunari stands out as an especially accomplished artisan within that lineage: unlike other heads of the family, he did not confine himself to the hereditary shippo alone but also practiced chokin (metal carving), and for that reason left behind works employing a wide variety of methods. Following Harunari, the Hirata family continued to make full use of its inherited cloisonne expertise, undertaking the production of decorations and orders for the Meiji government.
Harunari's shippo work employs predominantly gold cloisonne, yielding an elegant effect; many of his pieces are, in every respect, exceptionally beautiful. His gold-wire cloisonne inlays (kinsen shippo zogan) are arranged with remarkable effect, producing enamel tonalities that are highly transparent and clear -- a quality that distinguishes late-period Hirata work from the earlier manner, in which doro shippo was heaped up in thicker relief. In works combining cloisonne with carving, his takabori is executed through precise and accurate chisel handling, and a range of colored metals -- gold, silver, shibuichi, and suaka -- is employed so that even the finest details are rendered with exactitude[[c:1]]. Among his oeuvre there are also works that do not employ shippo at all, yet are executed with finely controlled workmanship -- neat, delicate, and painstakingly thorough.
The NBTHK has consistently recognized Harunari as a maker whose output gathers together the very essence of shippo inlay while simultaneously demonstrating crisp, masterful carving skill[[c:2]]. His pieces are described as exceptionally dignified in tone, and his best works stand as excellent demonstrations of the high technical level attained by this maker. That Harunari was thoroughly conversant with multiple techniques -- uniting the Hirata tradition of cloisonne with extremely meticulous metal-carving work -- places him in a singular position within the late Edo-period tosogu world, an artisan whose versatility elevated the hereditary art of his house to its fullest expression.
Where Harunari 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.
Select a lens to see how it's measured.
Kinko · Musashi
9 pieces on the market now
The Edo Hirata school descends from Hirata Dōnin (平田道仁), the craftsman who expressed the sumptuous, luxurious beauty of Momoyama-period art in sword fittings through the technique of shippō (七宝, cloisonné enamel). Commonly known as Hikoshirō, Dōnin was a native of Kyoto, and his skills are traditionally said to have been learned from Korea. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Donin道仁 | — | 31 |
| Harunari春就 | — | 6 |
| Haruyoshi春美 | — | 0 |
| Narihisa就久 | — | 0 |
| Harumasa春正 | — | 0 |
A Hozon-certified fitting of notably superior craftsmanship and condition, often with signature or workmanship of high reference value.
The NBTHK (Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai, the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords) is a public-interest incorporated foundation founded in 1948 and supervised by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs (Bunkachō); it is based at the Japanese Sword Museum in Tokyo. Its expert panels physically examine each submitted work (shinsa) and issue a certificate (kanteishō) ranking it by artistic and historical merit. NBTHK papers are the most widely recognized standard of authentication for Japanese swords and fittings.
NBTHK official siteNo cooling-off period or returns; refund only if the purchased sword is proven fake, capped at purchase price (excludes commission sales, accessories, auction items).
This is a kozuka featuring a design of butterflies in a stone ground, with gold wire cloisonné. It is a work by Hirata Haruhiro from the Edo era. The butterflies are depicted with glass cloisonné within the gold wires, using colors that cannot be replicated with current cloisonné techniques.
NihontoWatchEdo
Hirata-Edo Harunari
Edo
Tokuho (NBTHK)
Kinko · Edo
4 pieces on the market now
Hirata Harunari was the eighth-generation master of the Hirata school, a lineage founded by Hirata Donin (also recorded as Hirata Michihito), who was celebrated for expressing the sumptuous beauty of Momoyama-period art in sword fittings through the medium of shippo (cloisonne enamel). As hereditary specialists in service to the Edo shogunate, the Hirata house transmitted its enameling techniques across successive generations. Harunari stands out as an especially accomplished artisan within that lineage: unlike other heads of the family, he did not confine himself to the hereditary shippo alone but also practiced chokin (metal carving), and for that reason left behind works employing a wide variety of methods. Following Harunari, the Hirata family continued to make full use of its inherited cloisonne expertise, undertaking the production of decorations and orders for the Meiji government.
Harunari's shippo work employs predominantly gold cloisonne, yielding an elegant effect; many of his pieces are, in every respect, exceptionally beautiful. His gold-wire cloisonne inlays (kinsen shippo zogan) are arranged with remarkable effect, producing enamel tonalities that are highly transparent and clear -- a quality that distinguishes late-period Hirata work from the earlier manner, in which doro shippo was heaped up in thicker relief. In works combining cloisonne with carving, his takabori is executed through precise and accurate chisel handling, and a range of colored metals -- gold, silver, shibuichi, and suaka -- is employed so that even the finest details are rendered with exactitude[[c:1]]. Among his oeuvre there are also works that do not employ shippo at all, yet are executed with finely controlled workmanship -- neat, delicate, and painstakingly thorough.
The NBTHK has consistently recognized Harunari as a maker whose output gathers together the very essence of shippo inlay while simultaneously demonstrating crisp, masterful carving skill[[c:2]]. His pieces are described as exceptionally dignified in tone, and his best works stand as excellent demonstrations of the high technical level attained by this maker. That Harunari was thoroughly conversant with multiple techniques -- uniting the Hirata tradition of cloisonne with extremely meticulous metal-carving work -- places him in a singular position within the late Edo-period tosogu world, an artisan whose versatility elevated the hereditary art of his house to its fullest expression.
Where Harunari 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.
Select a lens to see how it's measured.
Kinko · Musashi
9 pieces on the market now
The Edo Hirata school descends from Hirata Dōnin (平田道仁), the craftsman who expressed the sumptuous, luxurious beauty of Momoyama-period art in sword fittings through the technique of shippō (七宝, cloisonné enamel). Commonly known as Hikoshirō, Dōnin was a native of Kyoto, and his skills are traditionally said to have been learned from Korea. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Donin道仁 | — | 31 |
| Harunari春就 | — | 6 |
| Haruyoshi春美 | — | 0 |
| Narihisa就久 | — | 0 |
| Harumasa春正 | — | 0 |
A Hozon-certified fitting of notably superior craftsmanship and condition, often with signature or workmanship of high reference value.
The NBTHK (Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai, the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords) is a public-interest incorporated foundation founded in 1948 and supervised by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs (Bunkachō); it is based at the Japanese Sword Museum in Tokyo. Its expert panels physically examine each submitted work (shinsa) and issue a certificate (kanteishō) ranking it by artistic and historical merit. NBTHK papers are the most widely recognized standard of authentication for Japanese swords and fittings.
NBTHK official siteNo cooling-off period or returns; refund only if the purchased sword is proven fake, capped at purchase price (excludes commission sales, accessories, auction items).
