-Tōsōgu, 59th Session — Designated October 11, 2013
, : Tōu (東雨)
Measurements (height): 7.3 cm (width): 7.3 cm Mimi thickness: 0.45 cm
Description Form: Material: iron Construction: ; ground finished in (hammered surface) Design: On the , the inscription of Wadō Kaichin (和同開珎), Japan’s first minted coin; on the , the auspicious Komabiki-zaru coin design (駒曳猿銭), said to have been cast from the ’ei era through the Genroku era Decoration: the entire iron ground is given variation through and chisel texturing ( work) producing clustered ground effects; carving is in the thin-relief favored in the Tōu period Rim: dote-mimi formed by sukinokoshi (leaving the rim standing) : two openings, fitted with plugs ( ategane) Signature: “Tōu” (東雨)
Artisan Nara school; Nara Yasuchika (安親), working under the gō Tōu (東雨)
Era Mid- period
Explanation Yasuchika (安親) also used the name (弥五八). He was born in 10 (1670) as the son of Tsuchiya Chūzaemon, a retainer of the Shōnai domain. As he grew up, he studied under Shōami Chinkyū (正阿弥珍久) and married his teacher’s daughter.
In Genroku 16 (1703), at the age of thirty-four, he went up to , where he undertook further training under Nara Tatsumasa (奈良辰政), and his innate talent came fully into bloom. Around the Shōtoku era (1711–1716), he entered the service of Matsudaira Daigaku-no-kami (松平大学頭), nephew of Tokugawa Mitsukuni (水戸光圀) and lord of 20,000 at Moriyama in Ōshū. In Kyōhō 16 (1731), at sixty-one years of age, Yasuchika shaved his head, adopted the art name Tōu (東雨), left many masterpieces to the world, and was later praised together with Nara Toshihisa (奈良利寿) and Sugiura Jōi (杉浦乗意) as the “Three Great Masters of Nara” (Nara Sansaku, 奈良三作).
This bears the late-life signature “Tōu” used by Yasuchika in his final years. The takes as its motif Wadō Kaichin, the earliest coinage produced in Japan, while the is based on the felicitous Komabiki-zaru coin design, said to have been cast from the ’ei era through the Genroku era. On both sides, the iron surface is worked overall with hammering and chisel texturing to create varied effects in the ground. The carving method is thin-relief , a technique Tōu particularly favored during this period.
The vigorous characters on the front are intentionally given areas of wear and pitting, expressing an atmosphere of great age. In contrast, the back adopts a light, stylish composition that emphasizes movement. The work displays the polished and distinctive approach unique to Yasuchika, here brought into especially sharp focus.
Category: [Tōsōgu XIV]
