This is a fuchi-kashira set featuring a design of plovers, signed by Masayuki (Shozui), the founder of the Hamano school. Crafted during the mid-Edo period in Musashi province, Edo, it showcases iron ishime-ji with high-relief inlay of brass and silver, finished with kin-suri-hagashi. The detailed and realistic depiction of the plovers, known for their auspicious meaning, highlights the maker's exceptional skill and artistry.
mei · Hamano · Edo

Hamano
Edo
Musashi
Signed
Machibori · Musashi
3 pieces on the market now
Hamano Masayuki was an outstanding talent among the disciples of Nara Toshihisa and was commonly known as Tarobei. He trained many pupils and established the Hamano school as one of the principal lineages of urban metalworkers (machibori), thereby founding an independent tradition comparable in stature to the Yokoya school. As recorded in the Edo Kinko Meifu, he "thundered through the world," gaining widespread fame as one of the "Four Heavenly Kings of Nara" (Nara Shitenno). He used numerous art names throughout his career, including Otsuryuken, Miboku, Kankei, Rifudo, Yukotei, Shuhosai, Hankeishi, Isshunan, and others. Among his followers, artists such as Kakusui, Naosui, and Masaryo are known as excellent craftsmen who carried forward the lineage.
Masayuki's technique was highly esteemed, and he excelled in every approach — whether in bold sukidashi-bori, nikiai-bori, nikubori, or katakiribori. His manner is characterized, as the Soken Kisho appraises it, by a preference for "the challenging," through which he reveals a bold spirit; his work is "brisk and forceful."[[c:1]] While inheriting the style of his master Toshihisa and incorporating mannerisms associated with Joi and Yasuchika, he devised an individual sculptural approach, adding distinctive nikubori-like modeling to high-relief subjects. The Hamano school's characteristic manner — using vertically oriented compositions and placing the principal subject in a large, forceful arrangement realized through realism — was firmly transmitted within the lineage.
In his later years, Masayuki left many powerful works that can be called distinctly his own, making vigorous use of robust high relief. His late pieces, often signed with age statements recording his seventies, fully display what the NBTHK describes as "the true essence of his art through the vigorous deployment of his powerful carving techniques." Works from this final period combine daring with attentiveness, their polychrome iroe accents executed with great care, standing as eloquent testaments to his elevated technical skill and the enduring vitality of the tradition he founded.
Where Shozui 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.
Machibori · Edo
31 pieces on the market now
The Hamano school of machibori carving was established in mid-Edo Edo by Hamano Masazui (浜野政隨), commonly known as Tarōbei, an exceptionally gifted pupil of Nara Toshihisa. As the Edo Kinkō Meifu states of him that he "thunders through the world," Masazui won widespread renown as one of the "Four Guardian Kings of Nara" (Nara Shitennō). Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Shozui政随 | — | 17 |
| Sekibun赤文 | 1670 | 8 |
| Noriyuki矩随 | — | 4 |
| Yoshinao義直 | — | 0 |
| Haruchika春親 | — | 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.
If, due to our fault, the item differs significantly from its proper condition, the item may be returned. Cooling-off is within one week of the item's arrival.
This is a fuchi-kashira set featuring a design of plovers, signed by Masayuki (Shozui), the founder of the Hamano school. Crafted during the mid-Edo period in Musashi province, Edo, it showcases iron ishime-ji with high-relief inlay of brass and silver, finished with kin-suri-hagashi. The detailed and realistic depiction of the plovers, known for their auspicious meaning, highlights the maker's exceptional skill and artistry.
mei · Hamano · Edo

Hamano
Edo
Musashi
Signed
Machibori · Musashi
3 pieces on the market now
Hamano Masayuki was an outstanding talent among the disciples of Nara Toshihisa and was commonly known as Tarobei. He trained many pupils and established the Hamano school as one of the principal lineages of urban metalworkers (machibori), thereby founding an independent tradition comparable in stature to the Yokoya school. As recorded in the Edo Kinko Meifu, he "thundered through the world," gaining widespread fame as one of the "Four Heavenly Kings of Nara" (Nara Shitenno). He used numerous art names throughout his career, including Otsuryuken, Miboku, Kankei, Rifudo, Yukotei, Shuhosai, Hankeishi, Isshunan, and others. Among his followers, artists such as Kakusui, Naosui, and Masaryo are known as excellent craftsmen who carried forward the lineage.
Masayuki's technique was highly esteemed, and he excelled in every approach — whether in bold sukidashi-bori, nikiai-bori, nikubori, or katakiribori. His manner is characterized, as the Soken Kisho appraises it, by a preference for "the challenging," through which he reveals a bold spirit; his work is "brisk and forceful."[[c:1]] While inheriting the style of his master Toshihisa and incorporating mannerisms associated with Joi and Yasuchika, he devised an individual sculptural approach, adding distinctive nikubori-like modeling to high-relief subjects. The Hamano school's characteristic manner — using vertically oriented compositions and placing the principal subject in a large, forceful arrangement realized through realism — was firmly transmitted within the lineage.
In his later years, Masayuki left many powerful works that can be called distinctly his own, making vigorous use of robust high relief. His late pieces, often signed with age statements recording his seventies, fully display what the NBTHK describes as "the true essence of his art through the vigorous deployment of his powerful carving techniques." Works from this final period combine daring with attentiveness, their polychrome iroe accents executed with great care, standing as eloquent testaments to his elevated technical skill and the enduring vitality of the tradition he founded.
Where Shozui 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.
Machibori · Edo
31 pieces on the market now
The Hamano school of machibori carving was established in mid-Edo Edo by Hamano Masazui (浜野政隨), commonly known as Tarōbei, an exceptionally gifted pupil of Nara Toshihisa. As the Edo Kinkō Meifu states of him that he "thunders through the world," Masazui won widespread renown as one of the "Four Guardian Kings of Nara" (Nara Shitennō). Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Shozui政随 | — | 17 |
| Sekibun赤文 | 1670 | 8 |
| Noriyuki矩随 | — | 4 |
| Yoshinao義直 | — | 0 |
| Haruchika春親 | — | 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.
If, due to our fault, the item differs significantly from its proper condition, the item may be returned. Cooling-off is within one week of the item's arrival.