This Jochiku Tsuba would be made towards the end of his career because the signature reads 如竹叟 – Jochiku Okina = “by Jochiku, the old man”. Tsuba from this maker or school are rarely seen available outside of major collections or museums.
Material of Tsuba is copper with mixed metals and shakudo. Style contains amongst others takabori, kebori and heavy chirimen-ishime.
Theme is depicting instruments. On Ura side it depicts a denden-daiko/taiko, a bow for a kokyu (violin-like instrument) and a fish. I am not sure how the fish fits in the theme. On Omote side perhaps a Sho, a wooden mouth organ.
This Tsuba is consistent in the style of Murakami Jochiku as well signature seems legit. A high quality Tsuba from a great master.
Murakami Jochiku is rated “Meiko” (great master) in Kinko Meikan.
Murakami Jochiku, son of a stirrup-inlayer of Yedo (about 1760), took to the making of sword-furniture in soft metals with fine inlays and taught some eight or nine pupils, including two of his daughters, Jotetsu and Josui. Wondergul colour effects, either in flush inlay of the most varied alloys or in encrusted reliefs often enriched with mother-o’-pearl and semi-precious stones, are characteristic of Murakami work. The designs are in general purely decorative, and the human figure is avoided.
Unfortunately Jochiku’s master is unknown bit it is transmitted taht he first applied zogan inlays to stirrups (abumi) under the name og “Nakamori” in Kanazawa. We also know the craftsan name of “Mitsunori” and his first name Seijiro. He was active from about Meiwa (1764-1772) to Tenmei (1781-1789) in Edo’s Shinmonzen district and used the go “Kanshodo” and Yukokuken. Because of the use of the character “sho” in former pseudonym – a wooden mouth organ – it is assumed that he also played that instrument. An important reference for this artist and his production site is the extant signature “Bushu San en-zan-roku ni oite Akabane no hotoro Murakami Seijiro Nyudo Johiko Mitsunori saku”, made by Murakami Seijiro Mitsunori, nyudo-go ‘Jochiku’, at the foot of Mt. San’en at Akabane in Musashi province.
Jochiku’s year of birth and death is unknown, but we know of pieces which are at least signed with the supplement “made at the age of 65”. Regarding his style, the ornamentation takes quite a larg place on the ground plate and is mostly inlaid in suemon and and carved in takabori. Because his origins were that of zogan artist, many pieces show excellent hira-zogan applications. But the Murakami style refrains mostly from additional kebori and katakiribori. Another characteristic of the school is the slighty uneven surface finish, the so-called “chirimen-ishime” (lit, “silk crepe ishime”) or “kawa-ishime” (li. “leather ishime”). Motifs of dragonflies, butterflies and fish were daring for his time and novel in their realism.
Mei/signature:
如竹叟
Jochiku Okina = “by Jochiku, the old man”
School/province:
Murakami
Period/age:
1764-1789
Measures:
7.10 cm x 5.80 cm x 0.40 cm
Certificate:
No
Included:
Kiri box is included
