Tsuba by Sasayama Tokuoki 篠山篤興

The artist who made the tsuba for this koshirae is Sasayama Tokuoki (篠山篤興) of the Ôtsuki School. He was born on November 17th of Bunka 10 (1813). Tokuoki’s (篤興) family names were Sasayama (篠山) and Fujiwara (藤原). He was the eldest son of Yahan Teigogai. Tokuoki came from the Sasayama family (篠山) and entered Kawarabashi Hideoki’s (川原林秀興) workshop in 1827 when he was 15 years old. Please note that he entered the workshop of this Ôtsuki master about 16 years before Kawarabashi Hidekuni (川原林秀国), the artist who created the fuchi and kashira that we just discussed.

In the third year of Bunkyû (1863) he was commissioned to make metal fittings for a tantô ordered by the Emperor Kômei, and was conferred the art name of Ikkôsai (一行斉). Tokuoki‘s skill in inlay work was truly supreme. Most of his works were tsuba including some mokkô-shaped ones produced for mounting on koshirae in the handachi style, which were fashionable in his days. His tsuba entitled “a flock of cranes” depicts five cranes out of a flock with some landing and others already on the ground waiting for the arrival of their flock. The addition of reed grass in the design made the composition more effective. The tsuba is shaped in a fairly large, rounded square shape. The cranes are given in iroeusing gold, silver, and shakudô on a polished iron ground. It is signed Ikkôsei Tokuoki.

His other art names were Bunsen (文僊), Bunsendô (文僊堂), Hôsendô (方仙堂), Manundô (万雲堂), Masaichirô (政一郎), Ôsumi (大泉), Sensai (仙斎), and Shôkatei (松花亭).

The tsuba in this koshirae depicts the Aridôshi Shrine and the horse races held there as part of the May 5th “boy’s day” celebration. It has an aori-itomaki-gata (off-centered square with rounded corners shape) with a shakudô nanako ground on the omote (obverse) and a shibuichi polished ground finish on the ura (reverse) representing day and night. The omotehas high relief carving with gold, silver, shibuichi and scarlet colored copper (hi-iro-dô) suemon-zôgan iroe (applied inlays with coloring). There is a kaku-mimi with ko-niku (squared with slight rounding). The ura has sukidashi taka-bori (high relief carving from within the surface metal) with a shakudô inlay and a sukinokoshi-mimi (raised mimi (rim) carved from the surface metal). There are two hitsu-ana with one hitsu filled with gold and the other hitsu lined with gold fukurin. The signature reads “Sasayama Tokuoki (篠山篤興kaô).

You will note that while the theme of this piece still holds true to being representative of the Tango or “Boy’s/Iris Day” festival of May 5th, the artist made several significant changes to the shape and design when you compare the finished product to the initial sketch. We have to keep in mind that “artistic license” vs. what the customer wants was alive then as it is today.

After the arrival of the Meiji period he was appointed to an official position for promoting industries in Kyotô. He passed away in the 24th year of Meiji (1891) at the age of 79.

The documents below are the original invoice and sketch for the tsuba to be done by Sasayama Tokuoki (篠山篤興). Unfortunately, these original documents suffered from some worm damage but not as much damage as the previous documents.

source: https://nihonto.com/nakai-koshirae/