Sword guard (Tsuba) With the Motif of Lǐ Bái Viewing a Waterfall (李白観瀑図鐔)

Japanese

Not on view

Motif of this lavishly gilded shibuichi tsuba is the Chinese poet Lǐ Bái (李白, Japanese: Ri Haku) gazing at the waterfall at Mt. Lú (廬山). Lǐ later wrote a famous poem on him seeing the falls which turned into a popular motif in painting and the very place into a pilgrimage spot.

The artist Hirotoshi (弘寿・弘壽) was the founder of the Mito-based Uchikoshi (打越) School. His real name was Konishi Bunshichi (小西文七) but which he changed later to Uchikoshi Enzō (打越円蔵), hence the name of his school. He had studied with the second master of the Tamagawa (玉川) School, Yoshinaga (吉長), but moved then to Edo. His year of birth and death are unknown but he was active around the eras Kyōwa (享和, 1801–1804) and Bunsei (文政, 1818–1830).

Sword guard (<i>Tsuba</i>) With the Motif of Lǐ Bái Viewing a Waterfall (李白観瀑図鐔), Copper-silver alloy (shibuichi), gold, copper-gold alloy (shakudō), copper, Japanese

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Obverse

Sword guard (<i>Tsuba</i>) With the Motif of Lǐ Bái Viewing a Waterfall (李白観瀑図鐔), Copper-silver alloy (shibuichi), gold, copper-gold alloy (shakudō), copper, Japanese
Sword guard (<i>Tsuba</i>) With the Motif of Lǐ Bái Viewing a Waterfall (李白観瀑図鐔), Copper-silver alloy (shibuichi), gold, copper-gold alloy (shakudō), copper, Japanese

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