This is a kozuka featuring a 'Chasenuri Zu' (tea whisk seller design) by Hidekuni, a master of the Otsuki school from the late Edo period. It depicts a Kuya monk selling tea whisks, a common sight in Kyoto from November to New Year's Eve, with a haiku by Basho carved on the reverse. The piece showcases delicate carving and a subtle four-bu-ichi finish, capturing the poignant atmosphere of the scene.
Certificate reading — 銘 川秀国鐫之
NihontoWatchBETAmei · Otsuki · Edo
Otsuki Hidekuni
Edo
Signed
Hozon (NBTHK)
Machibori · around 1670
2 pieces on the market now
Kawarabayashi Hidekuni, former family name Nakagawa, common name Daizo, was born in Bunsei 8 (1825) in Yonago, Hoki Province. At the age of eighteen he traveled to Kyoto and entered the school of Kawarabayashi Hideoki, the foremost disciple of Otsuki Mitsuoki. He later married Hideoki's second daughter and succeeded the house as its second-generation head. He used the art names Tenkodo and Kinryusai. The NBTHK consistently identifies him as the metalworker who brought the Otsuki school to its culmination --- "the last notable metalsmith of the Otsuki line" and "the final distinguished master metalworker of the Otsuki line" --- a figure who stood at the terminus of a long and celebrated Kyoto tradition.
Hidekuni particularly excelled in takabori (high-relief carving) executed with skillful deployment of various irogane alloys, and he was also highly proficient in kebori (fine line engraving) and katakiribori (single-bevel line carving). His subjects range from animals and plants rendered with a strong devotion to direct observation to figures and landscapes, all conveyed with the tasteful charm characteristic of the Otsuki manner. His technical command is evident in unified suites where he freely varies depth and shallowness in smooth high relief across iron, polished shibuichi, and solid gold grounds, deploying sukidashi takabori, zogan, and iroe in gold, silver, shakudo, and suaka to achieve meticulous polychrome effects --- from the venerable faces of arhats down to each plant, animal, and implement.
The NBTHK observes that his later works exhibit "an airy and unconventional spirit" emblematic of Mitsuoki's own late production, suggesting an artistic maturation beyond mere technical mastery. His naturalistic rendering of animal subjects is singled out for particular praise: the untamed character captured in the expressions of the eyes and the accomplished fine line-carving of body hair attest to a commitment to sketching from life. Whether composing a Thunder God whose carving conveys "a vivid immediacy that could be called unprecedented" or an elegantly lyrical moonlit shore, Hidekuni's works are recognized as masterpieces in which his technical abilities are fully displayed --- fitting culminations of the Otsuki school's artistic legacy.
Where Hidekuni 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 · Yamashiro
17 pieces on the market now
The Otsuki school is a distinguished lineage of Kyoto kinko (metalworkers) whose production spans from the mid-Edo period through the Bakumatsu era, consistently identified by the NBTHK as one of the most eminent metalworking lineages of the capital. " The school also acknowledged its debt to earlier Kyoto masters, with the NBTHK detecting in Mitsuoki's modeling the influence of Umetada Myoju and in his pictorial conception the influence of Kaneie. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Tokuoki篤興 | 1813-1891 | 20 |
| Mitsuoki光興 | 1766-1834 | 12 |
| Hidekuni秀国 | 1670 | 8 |
| Oki/Masaoki/Minayama Oki応起 | 1670 | 7 |
| Harutsura春貫 | — | 6 |
Certifies a genuine fitting worth preserving: a correct signature, or, if unsigned, an identifiable era and school, with recognized artistic and craft 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 siteFor one-of-a-kind items such as swords, sword fittings, and antiques, please contact us about a return within 3 days of the item's arrival and ship it back within 8 days. Refunds are issued the same day the returned item arrives.
This is a kozuka featuring a 'Chasenuri Zu' (tea whisk seller design) by Hidekuni, a master of the Otsuki school from the late Edo period. It depicts a Kuya monk selling tea whisks, a common sight in Kyoto from November to New Year's Eve, with a haiku by Basho carved on the reverse. The piece showcases delicate carving and a subtle four-bu-ichi finish, capturing the poignant atmosphere of the scene.
Certificate reading — 銘 川秀国鐫之
NihontoWatchBETAmei · Otsuki · Edo
Otsuki Hidekuni
Edo
Signed
Hozon (NBTHK)
Machibori · around 1670
2 pieces on the market now
Kawarabayashi Hidekuni, former family name Nakagawa, common name Daizo, was born in Bunsei 8 (1825) in Yonago, Hoki Province. At the age of eighteen he traveled to Kyoto and entered the school of Kawarabayashi Hideoki, the foremost disciple of Otsuki Mitsuoki. He later married Hideoki's second daughter and succeeded the house as its second-generation head. He used the art names Tenkodo and Kinryusai. The NBTHK consistently identifies him as the metalworker who brought the Otsuki school to its culmination --- "the last notable metalsmith of the Otsuki line" and "the final distinguished master metalworker of the Otsuki line" --- a figure who stood at the terminus of a long and celebrated Kyoto tradition.
Hidekuni particularly excelled in takabori (high-relief carving) executed with skillful deployment of various irogane alloys, and he was also highly proficient in kebori (fine line engraving) and katakiribori (single-bevel line carving). His subjects range from animals and plants rendered with a strong devotion to direct observation to figures and landscapes, all conveyed with the tasteful charm characteristic of the Otsuki manner. His technical command is evident in unified suites where he freely varies depth and shallowness in smooth high relief across iron, polished shibuichi, and solid gold grounds, deploying sukidashi takabori, zogan, and iroe in gold, silver, shakudo, and suaka to achieve meticulous polychrome effects --- from the venerable faces of arhats down to each plant, animal, and implement.
The NBTHK observes that his later works exhibit "an airy and unconventional spirit" emblematic of Mitsuoki's own late production, suggesting an artistic maturation beyond mere technical mastery. His naturalistic rendering of animal subjects is singled out for particular praise: the untamed character captured in the expressions of the eyes and the accomplished fine line-carving of body hair attest to a commitment to sketching from life. Whether composing a Thunder God whose carving conveys "a vivid immediacy that could be called unprecedented" or an elegantly lyrical moonlit shore, Hidekuni's works are recognized as masterpieces in which his technical abilities are fully displayed --- fitting culminations of the Otsuki school's artistic legacy.
Where Hidekuni 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 · Yamashiro
17 pieces on the market now
The Otsuki school is a distinguished lineage of Kyoto kinko (metalworkers) whose production spans from the mid-Edo period through the Bakumatsu era, consistently identified by the NBTHK as one of the most eminent metalworking lineages of the capital. " The school also acknowledged its debt to earlier Kyoto masters, with the NBTHK detecting in Mitsuoki's modeling the influence of Umetada Myoju and in his pictorial conception the influence of Kaneie. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Tokuoki篤興 | 1813-1891 | 20 |
| Mitsuoki光興 | 1766-1834 | 12 |
| Hidekuni秀国 | 1670 | 8 |
| Oki/Masaoki/Minayama Oki応起 | 1670 | 7 |
| Harutsura春貫 | — | 6 |
Certifies a genuine fitting worth preserving: a correct signature, or, if unsigned, an identifiable era and school, with recognized artistic and craft 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 siteFor one-of-a-kind items such as swords, sword fittings, and antiques, please contact us about a return within 3 days of the item's arrival and ship it back within 8 days. Refunds are issued the same day the returned item arrives.
