NihontoWatchNihontoWatchIn Hikone during the middle of the Edo period, the Mogarashi school, represented by Kitagawa Soten, was active, and a magnificent style flourished that densely composed figures and landscapes in nikubori ji-sukashi, adding iroe with different metals such as gold, silver, and copper. Such works are called "Hikone-bori" and are known as a characteristic of the school centered around Soten. In the work by Soten in the collection of the Kyoto National Museum, characteristics such as sukashibori of thick jigane, expressing figures and landscapes in takabori, and applying iroe can be confirmed, and it is considered a work of the 18th century. This piece is a truly impressive work with a grand tetsu-ji measuring 81.1 mm in height rendered in nikubori ji-sukashi, using the Battle of Ichi-no-Tani in Juei 3 (1184) as its theme, with warriors, mounted horses, boats, surging waves, pine trees, and rocky mountains carved across the entire front and back; rather than simply lining up figures, by skillfully arranging the warriors within the landscape of mountains, fields, and seashores stretching from the enkei to the chikakage, it unfolds a grand narrative world as if a scene from the "Heike Monogatari" were condensed into a small tsuba. The Battle of Ichi-no-Tani is one of the representative battles of the Genpei War, and among them, the anecdote of the young Heike warrior Taira no Atsumori and the Genji side's Kumagai Jiro Naozane has been passed down to later generations as one of the finest scenes in the "Heike Monogatari," "Atsumori Saigo," and as a story symbolizing the brilliance of bravery and the mujo of a world at war, it became the subject of numerous artistic works including Noh, Kowaka-mai, and paintings. In this work as well, by depicting the tense battlefield scenes woven by the warriors as one with the surrounding mountains and sea, it is sublimated into a screen rich in narrativity that goes beyond a mere battle illustration. Turning one's eyes to the details, fine tagane work is layered upon the expressions of the figures, armor, drapery, and horse trappings, with zogan including gold placed at key points and silver ten-zogan scattered among the waves to express sea spray; it is treated with such elaborate work that new scenes appear every time the viewing position is changed, and furthermore, by encircling the mimi with a kin-fukurin, the heavy blackish tetsu-ji and the brilliance of the gold form a vivid contrast, adding a dignity and splendor favored by samurai families to the grand presence unique to a large tsuba exceeding 81 mm. The fact that the design is not completed only on the front but unfolds the figures and landscape without omission through to the back is also a major highlight of this work; if held in the hand and viewed while turning it over, the gaze is guided successively from the movements of the warriors to the horses, boats, rocky mountains, pines, and waves, allowing one to enjoy the appreciation of unfolding a narrative picture scroll despite it being a single tsuba, and the charm unique to Hikone figure tsuba is condensed in the ability to enjoy various techniques such as tetsu-ji carving, nikubori ji-sukashi, iroe with different metals, and kin-fukurin within a single work. This piece is accompanied by a Hozon Tosogu Kanteisho attributed as mumei but "Hikone," and with its grand size of 81.1 mm in height, its historical theme of the Battle of Ichi-no-Tani symbolizing samurai culture, its dense group of figures spanning the front and back, its carving techniques reaching into every detail, the vivid contrast between the tetsu-ji and irogane, and even the kin-fukurin encircling the entire perimeter, it is a piece that truly seems to hold the world of the "Heike Monogatari" within the palm of the hand; it is a charming masterpiece that I would certainly like collectors who enjoy warrior and battle scenes, as well as enthusiasts who wish to fully enjoy the narrativity and magnificent metalwork expression of Hikone-bori, to add to their collections.
Offered by Toushin
32 on the market
As written by the shop
Machine translation from the shop's Japanese · may contain errors ·
Kinko · Omi
32 pieces on the market now
The Hikone school of sword fittings -- known as Hikone-bori -- was established at Nakayabu in Hikone, Omi Province, by Mogarashi Nyudo Soten, who settled there after leaving Kyoto and entered the service of the Kawakita family, hereditary vassals of the Hikone domain. One source records that Soten initially trained under the Goto family, citing the Kinko Soran for the existence of works signed "made by Kitagawa Hidenori, a disciple of the Goto," before developing the distinctive carving manner that would define his lineage. The school's connection to the broader Mino-bori tradition is also recognized. There were reportedly two generations working under Soten's name, with the first born in Joo 1 (1652) and active from the early through mid-Edo period. From his workshop emerged a circle of accomplished students, chief among them Nomura Kanenori and Munenori, who carried the Hikone-bori manner forward and established it as one of the most distinctive regional styles in the kinko tradition. The technical hallmark of Hikone-bori is sukidashi takabori -- richly modeled high-relief carving executed on generously proportioned iron plates, further enlivened through zogan iroe employing gold, silver, shakudo, and suaka. The NBTHK notes that even among the gold applications, "multiple types of gold are used," producing expansive pictorial fields of considerable chromatic variety.
Subjects encompass warriors, Daoist immortals, elder sages at elegant gatherings, and flowers-and-birds compositions, rendered across the entirety of both surfaces of the guard. The school's masters also demonstrated facility in shakudo work, including nanako-ji plates with high-relief compositions displaying a pronounced Goto-like flavor, as well as nikubori ji-sukashi and polychrome mitokoromono sets. What unifies the school's output is the synthesis of imposing compositional scale with refined polychrome technique. " Munenori's contribution is recognized for its assured command of shakudo nanako-ji ground preparation and boldly modeled takabori, enriched with polychrome iroe employing multiple varieties of gold across both faces -- a sumptuous, animated effect characteristic of the mature Hikone style. The Hikone school's significance within the broader kinko tradition rests on its creation of a distinctively pictorial approach to sword-fitting decoration that stands apart from both the restrained elegance of the Goto mainline and the narrative density of the Yokoya school. The NBTHK's evaluative language converges on a single defining quality: the school's ability to fill expansive iron and shakudo surfaces with ambitious narrative compositions while maintaining compositional coherence and chromatic refinement. " That Soten's overwhelming fame led later makers to adopt his signature on subsequent Hikone-carved works testifies to the enduring authority of the school's founding aesthetic, while the surviving origami documentation -- including one dated Kanbun 5 (1665) from Goto Mitsutomo -- provides valuable evidence for understanding workshop practices and the collaborative production that sustained the Hikone tradition across the early and mid-Edo period. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Soten宗典 | Edo | 10 |
| Kanenori包教 | Edo | 3 |
| Masatsugu政次 | Edo | 0 |
| Mitsuyoshi光義 | Edo | 0 |
| Munekata宗賢 | Edo | 0 |
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 siteAs a rule we do not accept returns, except when we have sent a different item from the one ordered or when there is a significant discrepancy between the description and the item. If you wish to return an item, please contact us within 3 days of its arrival and then send it back.
¥440,000