NihontoWatchNihontoWatchMogarashi Munenori is a representative metalworker of Hikone in Omi Province during the mid-Edo period, known for a magnificent style that combines dense takabori of figures and landscapes on thick tetsu-ji with sukashibori and iroe of gold, silver, and suaka; while this piece bears the mei "Mogarashi Nyudo Munenori sei," it is evaluated as a work itself as a mid-Edo period Hikone tsuba, without adding value based on the creator's name. This tsuba takes the confrontation between Ushiwakamaru and Musashibo Benkei at Gojo Ohashi as its subject, depicting across the front and back through tetsu-ji takabori and sukashibori the famous scene where the agile Ushiwakamaru freely leaps across the bridge railings to toy with Benkei, who lay in wait to seize his one-thousandth tachi. On the front, Benkei holding a naginata is positioned largely at the bottom right, with Ushiwakamaru shown lightly flipping his body above his head; by connecting the gazes and body orientations of the two along a diagonal line, a sense of tension in the confrontation is created, while the bridge railings, pines, rocks, and swirling clouds are skillfully combined through sukashi to depict the depth of Gojo Ohashi at night within the limited surface of the tsuba. On the back, the bridge railings and main pillars, pines, rocks, and clouds covering the sky are arranged and composed as a continuous scene from the front, a design intended to allow the front and back of the tsuba to be enjoyed as a single picture, where the sukashi spaces evoke the wind blowing across the bridge and the swift movements of the figures. Silver and suaka iroe are applied to the faces and hands of Ushiwakamaru and Benkei and key points of their weaponry, and by meticulously placing kin zogan on the clothing, armor, bridge, pines, rocks, and clouds, a brilliant coloring and three-dimensional feel are given to the blackish-brown tetsu-ji; furthermore, a kin fukurin with fine patterns applied to the entire mimi encircles the piece, tightening the high-density figurative expression with a bright outline. This is a single piece where one can enjoy the magnificence and dramatic composition characteristic of mid-Edo period Hikone-bori figure tsuba, incorporating the story of Yoshitsune and Benkei, the architectural expression of the bridge, and natural scenery without omission on a large tsuba surface of 83.1 mm in length, unifying carving, sukashibori, iroe, and kin fukurin as one.
NihontoWatchOffered by Toushin
We couldn’t find current papers for this piece. Ask the dealer whether it has been, or can be, submitted to shinsa. — Hoshi
32 on the market
As written by the shop
Machine translation from the shop's Japanese · may contain errors ·
Kinko
1 piece on the market now
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 |
We could not find an authenticity certificate on the seller’s listing. Japanese swords and fittings are normally papered by the NBTHK (or the NTHK). Without one, the attribution is the seller’s own assessment and has not been independently verified — treat it with caution and ask the dealer about certification before buying.
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¥275,000