NihontoWatchNihontoWatchHamano Shōzui (浜野政随), 1 st gen. The founder of the Hamano school was Shōzui, who was a student of Nara Toshinaga (利寿) mentioned in the genealogy on the previous page. His first name was „Tarōbei“ (太郎兵衛) and he was born in the ninth year of Genroku (1696). After finishing his apprenticeship with Toshinaga he parted with the Nara school and pursued very successful his own career. His school was very capable of keeping up with the Yokoya school in terms of number of students and influence on the machibori movement. Simply spoken, he combined the styles of the Yokoya and the Nara school with the interpretations of Sugiura Jōi, that means he worked in takabori-iroe and in zōgan but with larger-sized motifs than those use by the Nara school, enriched with usunikubori and shishiaibori. And regarding his selection of motifs, he chose various historical, epic, worldly and figurative subjects, as well as a broad variety of plants and animals. Besides the Nara-sansaku (Nara Toshinaga, Sugiura Jōi and Tsuchiya Yasuchika), Shōzui is counted as the fourth great master that the Nara school has brought forth, i.e. the so-called „Nara Shitennō“ (奈良四天王). But it has to be mentioned that Shōzui and Jōi formed a rather somewhat separated pair in this group because there were about thirty years between them and the contemporaries Toshinaga and Yasuchika. Regarding his signatures, he always used the old version (濱) for „Hama“ (浜) and zui“ (随) is also signed with the non-simplified style (隨). The „Tōsō-kodōgu-kōza“ assumes that the characters for „Shōzui“ were back then probably read by their Japanese reading „Masayuki“ and that the Sino-Japanese reading had became widely used only in recent times. By the way, the „Tōsō-kodōgu-kōza“ was published in 1972. However, the names of all subsequent generations are usually quoted in the Japanese reading. Shōzui used more than a dozen pseudonyms, for example „Otsuryūken“ (乙柳軒),*49 „Miboku“ (味墨), “Shūhōsai“ (龝峰斎), „Yūkotei“ (遊壷亭), „Keitō“ (圭竇) and „Keitōrin“ (圭竇林). The gō „Otsuryūken“ and „Miboku“ in turn were also used by later Hamano mainline artists and it is said that students were not allowed to sign with these pseudonyms. Hamano Shōzui died on the 26th day of the tenth month of Meiwa six (1769) at the age of 74. He is buried in the Eikyū-ji (永久寺) in Tōkyō´s Taitōku district. The gravestone of the Hamano family, which was erected according to transmission by the 2nd gen. Kaneyuki, is still extant. Picture 13: Hamano Shōzui 13.2 Hamano Kaneyuki (浜野兼随), 2 nd
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We couldn’t find current papers for this piece. Ask the dealer whether it has been, or can be, submitted to shinsa. — Hoshi
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Machibori · Musashi
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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.
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Machibori · Edo
32 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). Training many disciples and employing numerous art names—including Otsuryūken, Aji-zumi, Kankei, Rifūdō, Yūkotei, Shūhōsai, Hankei-shi, and Isshunan—he formed what came to be known as the Hamano school, establishing one of the principal lineages of machibori artistry and founding an independent house. " Works are rendered by means of yōbori (sculptural carving) upon varied grounds—gold-and-silver imo-tsugi-ji, solid gold (kinmuku)—with details frequently treated in the in'yō-kon mode, suggesting the early Gotō masters as models.
The carving is executed with "ample, well-judged volume (nikudori)" and "exceptionally full, weighty presence," while applied metal (okigane) in silver and shakudō with shakudō iroe tightens pictorial fields and imparts additional movement. Later Hamano artists such as Katsurano Akafumi maintained this technical versatility, favoring polychrome inlay applied to high-relief compositions. " The NBTHK repeatedly notes that works "clearly demonstrate the high level of technique," "amply demonstrate advanced technical mastery," and possess "a composed dignity"—attestations to the school's sustained excellence across generations and its enduring place within the broader machibori tradition. 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.
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