Tsuba with design of eagle and sparrows
Unno Moritoshi (Japanese, 1834–1896)
School: Mito School (Japanese, 18th–20th centuries)
Japanese
Meiji era
1883
Medium/Technique Main material: shibuichi; other metals: gold and shakudo; decorative technique: takabori, zogan
Dimensions Overall: 7 x 6.9 x 0.8 cm (2 3/4 x 2 11/16 x 5/16 in.)
Credit Line William Sturgis Bigelow Collection
Accession Number11.11955
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAsia
ClassificationsArms and armor
Catalogue Raisonné 152
Signed Meiji mizunoto-hitsuji sakurazuki Bigeiro sensei no tame Ryonsai Unno Moritoshi koku su [Carved for Dr. Bigelow by Ryounsai Unno Moritoshi in the third month of the mizunoto-hitsuji year of Meiji (=1883)]
明治癸未櫻月為美藝郎先生凌雲齋海野盛壽刻
ProvenanceBy 1911, purchased by William Sturgis Bigelow (b. 1850 – d. 1926), Boston [see note 1]; 1911, gift of Bigelow to the MFA. (Accession Date: August 3, 1911)

NOTES:
[1] Much of Bigelow’s collection of Asian art was formed during his residence in Japan between 1882 and 1889, although he also made acquisitions in Europe and the United States. Bigelow deposited many of these objects at the MFA in 1890 before donating them to the Museum’s collection at later dates.

[ford] Unno Moritoshi (1834–1896) was a Mito artist and trained under Yoshimori. He was also a tsuba and tosogu-shi. The Boston Museum of fine art hold a large collection of work by him, a number are illustrated in ‘Lethal Elegance’ by Joe Earl. The items in the MFA collection are known to all be genuine because they were bequeathed to the museum by 2 American collectors, William Sturgis Bigelow and Charles Goddard Weld, who both seemed to have a personal relationship with Moritoshi and other leading Mito artists. Many of the piece were most probably special commissions. In fact the MFA collection is probably the finest, anywhere, of late Edo Mito work.

I was fortunate to work on a number of pieces (about a dozen at least) by Moritishi in my previous life as a restorer in London so I am intimately familiar with his work. I bring your attention to his art because it epitomises the finest quality that was being produced at the end of the 19th century in Japan. That astronomical price of $170 000 for that little box is actually fairly typical for works at this level. I think puts the price of the finest kinko tsuba into some sort of perspective and it’s only a matter of time before serious art collectors start to take note and the tsuba you think are very expensive will be re-evaluated and their prices begin to climb towards similar stratospheric level.

I invite you have a close study of his technique and artistry. Compare those gold menuki with the finest Goto works and consider which strikes you as being the finer work of art.