This firescreen abattant may be inspected at The Antique Center at Historic Savage Mill, Maryland
The top is also in good condition but the bone spoon is a bit short and wrapped tape keeps a snug fit to the bottle. The top may be a replacement.
This chest may be inspected at The Antique Center at Historic Savage Mill, Maryland
We were not able to find a recent auction record for this image with data available. Another mid-century work by Saito (in color) titled Asuka (Kudara Kannon) [possibly confused by the artist with one of the Roku Kannon also of the Horyuji] was bestowed in 1959 by the artist to the Collection of The University of Michigan Museum of Art. It is noted that Saito was creating works in a series of early Nara sculptures around the time. A Saito subject similar to the present, muted work (but printed two years later in a run of 100) of another Nara sculpture, Miroku, was offered in Christies sale 8862, lot 306 together with a Winter in Aizu print.
The muted colors of the present work is a reflection of the somber lighting within the temples housing sculptures of this period.
Condition of the present work is good, with some toning and with brown paper tape around the edges (covering up to about a half inch margin.) A penciled note (from the framer?) appears in the margin on the verso. Some ink bleed on the verso from the original printing not at all compromising the image. Not clear if this was the first framing, the print was nonetheless not removed for some time until we removed the backing to inspect condition (image included of verso before removing paper.) Sheet height about 33 inches, sheet width about 21 1/4 inches. Image height about 29 5/8 inches, image width about 16 inches.An appointment would be necessary to inspect this cellarette
An appointment would be necessary to inspect this chest
This table may be inspected at The Antique Center at Historic Savage Mill, Maryland
A copper alloy (sentoku) example in The Metropolitan Museum of Art posits the motif as “108 human sins in the guise of monkeys” (46.122.77). Signed Hishū Yagami-Jū Mitsuhiro, it and other examples include a silver alloy (shibuichi) tsuba in The Walters Art Museum (from Noda, rather than Yagami, in Hizen province) signed the same (51.133), a second (unsigned and in the nanban manner with patterned seppa-dai) in the Walters has a mimi surrounding the open worked plate, an iron nanban tsuba in the Seattle Art Museum (37.44), a photographed iron nanban tsuba in the J. Paul Getty Museum (56538), and an iron tsuba in the Museum of Fine Arts Boston signed Yagami Shoyoken Mitsuhiro (13.1769).
Of the above examples in prominent public collections, the sentoku [copper alloy] and shibuichi [silver alloy] examples appear to be later generations of the same Mitsuhiro line. The present example (unsigned) and the Boston example (signed Yagami Shoyoken Mitsuhiro) are traditional iron tsuba, taking inspiration but not form from nanban work (proportions, seppa-dai and this tsuba's mimi [rim] being traditional), and exhibit strikingly comparable workmanship including sparse gold details on at least a few eyes of the monkeys. Both also have symmetric hitsu-ana suggestive of the Shoami tsuba movement. The remaining cited examples are nanban work from which the motif derived.
The present, unsigned example may be earlier than the cited examples owing to the prominent mimi consistent with the tradition of katchushi (armorer) tsuba from which the Shoami movement evolved. Later generations were also more likely to sign comparable works. I would characterize this tsuba as early Hizen Yagami Mitsuhiro work in the Shoami tradition and probably the same "Shoyoken Mitsuhiro", as the Boston museum example, or possibly a preceding generation or contemporary. It is reasonable that creative Shoami artists could be expected to pick up influences including from extant nanban work. Hizen province generally being a center for foreign trade, and Yagami specifically being a district of the Nagasaki trade port, further supports this.
An article by Robert Burawoy in Bushido magazine, V3,No1, 3rd quarter 1981, touches on the three generations known to have signed Yagami Mitsuhiro. Some reference is made to economy of simpler execution of the mimi by the first generation - with repetitive pattern in contrast to varied detail by the second generation. The thick, prominent mimi of the present example also provides economy of execution as does the second, nanban example in the Walters (though the present example is clearly by a Japanese artisan while the same cannot be said of the Walters’ unsigned nanban manner tsuba).
Good condition. Height, 3 inches. Width, 2 3/4 inches. (Seppa-dai about an 1/8 inch thick. Mimi a little more than 1/8 inch thick. The monkeys decoration a little less than 1/8 inch thick.)This chest may be inspected at The Antique Center at Historic Savage Mill, Maryland