Fuchi-Kashira: Mt. Oe Design, Signed Furyuken Takase Eiju (Kao)

Tanaka Seiju, whose personal name was Tanaka Bunjiro, was born in Edo in Bunka 1 (1804) as the son of the Musashi Province tsuba maker Tanaka Fusajiro. He lived in Shibai-cho, adjacent to Shiba Shinzenza-cho, and trained as a tsuba maker under Goto Sojiro Masanori, who had connections with Goto Seijo. However, Seiju himself favored the broader field of kinko (decorative metalwork) and pursued study largely through self-directed learning. Inheriting his father's art name, he styled himself Toryusai. He also maintained a close association with Goto Ichijo, and in step with contemporary taste he perfected a stylish, distinctive personal manner---the Toryusai style---that was uniquely his own[[c:1]]. He is counted as one of the "three great masters of Bakumatsu metalwork" (Bakumatsu san meiko). He rivaled the fame of Goto Ichijo in Kyoto[[c:5]] and, like Ichijo, was granted the rank of Hogen. In Koka 2 (1845) he was promoted to Hokyo, and in the following year advanced to Hogen. He cut supplementary inscriptions such as Ryuju, Jiryu, Ga-ikkaku, and Ikka-shiki---phrases asserting artistic independence and personal style. While training many disciples, he also left numerous masterworks; he died in Meiji 9 (1876) at the age of seventy-three.

Seiju assimilated with great skill the carving methods of the Goto family and the Yanagawa family, among others, yet forged from these an independent manner marked by notably fresh designs and an ingenious, Edo-flavored sensibility[[c:4]]. His technical range encompassed sukidashi-bori and takabori (high-relief carving), suemon-zogan (flush inlay), hira-zogan (flat inlay), iroe (polychrome metalwork) deploying gold, silver, shakudo, shibuichi, suaka, and brass, as well as nunome-zogan (textile-pattern inlay) and sumi-zogan (ink-painting-effect inlay)[[c:2]]. He worked fluently in both iron and shakudo grounds, and his handling of iron plate---the forging, the polished surface, the turned-back rim construction, and the fitting of sekigane at the nakago-ana---are consistently identified as hallmarks of his hand. Praised as a "magician of colored metals," he displayed minute yet brilliantly decorative irogane inlay and iroe across an extensive range of subjects: figure compositions, birds and animals, literary and narrative themes drawn from the Taketori Monogatari and Tsurezuregusa, folk tales such as "Kachi-kachi Yama" and the Dragon Palace legend, auspicious motifs, and witty conceits including anthropomorphized frogs and the "Daruma-in-absence" design. His workshop flourished widely, and the range of his designs is extensive; figure subjects as well as birds and animals were among his special strengths.

The NBTHK's appraisals consistently characterize Seiju's productions as works of notably high dignity and completion[[c:3]] that could only have been achieved by an artist of his caliber. His distinctive character is felt throughout each piece, with the evaluative language emphasizing that his sensibility, skill, and conception all operate in full concert. Works are described as possessing a solemn yet unpretentious taste and a calm, tasteful impression even when gold inlay is used abundantly. His compositions are recognized for their urbane wit and stylish playfulness---the okashimi (humorous charm) that strongly conveys his sense of fashionable Edo flair. The assessments trace a coherent arc from early productions, where a reisho-like signature style and high technical accomplishment are already evident, through the mature period, where both design and carving technique achieve an impressive degree of completion, to late works signed Ikka-shiki and Juso Hogen that display the full vigor of his prime. Throughout, the NBTHK affirms that his works fully demonstrate the technical capabilities that could be achieved by Seiju---an artist who mastered the world of kinko through independent study and whose proud resolve is legible in every detail of his craft.