NihontoWatchNihontoWatchFutokoromono decorated with gourd and catfish. With NBTHK Hozon Tosogu, attributed to Kyo-Kinko School. In Japanese mythology giant catfish is responsible for causing earthquakes, just by moving its huge body. Kadori Myojin is a god responsible for calming it down. He is doing that by rubbing gourd against the giant body of the catfish. This interpretation of catfish and gourd seems to be most popular in western publications. However there is one more interoperation and this one is more common in Japanese publications. Zen Buddhism has a practice called Koan, it raises a simple but challenging question which results in multiple answers, for example "How to capture a catfish with a gourd". This particular one was asked by Ashikaga Yoshimichi, the fourth Shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate. It brought answers from 31 leading Zen monks. Catching a slippery catfish fish with an unsuitable utensil such as a smooth and rounded gourd would be so difficult as to be almost impossible, but illustrates the impossibility of using logical rationalisation to understand Zen. It can be viewed as Zen humour, or as a koan, designed to provoke the viewer into new ways of thinking or seeing. In modern Japan phrase "Gourd and catfish" is used to expres something elusive. Menuki are made of shakudo with gold iroe eyes. Kozuka is made of shibuichi. Catfish is made of shakudo with gold and silver iroe. Made in Edo period. Menuki:
Certificate reading — 無銘（京金工）
NihontoWatchKyo-kinko School京金工派
Offered by Soryu
Kyo-kinko School
Edo
Unsigned
Hozon (NBTHK)
Kinko · Yamashiro
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 siteInspection period (per the shop's shipping policy): after receiving the item, each customer has two weeks for inspection. In that time you may decide to return it, and the item will be refunded in full. Shipping costs are not refunded. Returns (per the shop's refund policy): the policy lasts 30 days; once 30 days have passed since purchase, no refund or exchange is possible. To be eligible for a return, the item must be in the same condition in which it was received and in its original packaging. Customized products cannot be returned. In certain situations only a partial refund is granted. Return shipping is at the customer's expense, and shipping costs are non-refundable.
$820