Shakudo, some gold. Japan, 19th century
Dramatic scene crafted in high relief! The Samurai Omori Hikohichi carried a pretty girl through a creek, recognizing the horrible face of the witch Hannya in the water′s refelection. They started to fight and the witch dug her claws into the samurai. This depiction shows this scene; above is a pine branch. Signature YASU-MASA and Kao.
Signed YASU-MASA, and kao.
LENGTH 9,65 CM
From the collection of Dr. Karl Florenz (1865-1939)
Dr. Karl Florenz was a renowned scholar, university professor and regarded as a pioneer of German Japanese studies. He resided in Japan from 1888 until the beginning of the First World War, then continued his lectures at the Hamburg Colonial Institute, never to return to Japan again. Famed for having translated several important Japanese books including the Nihongi, Japan’s oldest official history text, he was awarded the Japanese doctor title in literature. His extensive collection was largely destroyed by air strikes in the Second World War (which he himself did not live to witness), however, most tsuba etc. survived in relatively good condition. Dr. Florenz primarily collected tsubas, most of which are from the 18th cent. and quite evidently made an effort to explore a wide range of motifs.