42 - AN IMPRESSIVE WOOD ‘KANO SCHOOL DRAGON’ BOKUTO (DOCTOR’S SWORD)

AN IMPRESSIVE WOOD ‘KANO SCHOOL DRAGON’ BOKUTO (DOCTOR’S SWORD) Unsigned Japan, 18 th-19th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Unusually large and gently curved in form, one end finely carved as the head of a dragon turning dramatically backwards, its fierce expression accentuated by large eyes inlaid in mother-of-pearl, a gaping mouth revealing sharp fangs, and finely rendered curling whiskers. The elongated body is covered with meticulously carved scales and emerges from swirling clouds that extend along the remainder of the shaft. The wood displays an attractive grain and a rich, lustrous patina. The dragon’s claw forms the attachment point for the sword cord, while a further himo-ana (cord hole) is pierced at the opposite end for the attachment of a tassel or suspension cord. LENGTH 52 cm Condition: Excellent condition, with only minor wear, small age cracks and few tiny nicks here and there. During the Edo period, following the establishment of peace under the Tokugawa shogunate, the practical need for carrying weapons greatly diminished among the warrior class. Wooden sword substitutes known as bokuto became fashionable among physicians, artists, scholars, and other members of the professional classes as symbols of status and refinement. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, these objects increasingly departed from the proportions and function of actual swords, becoming highly imaginative works of decorative sculpture. The present example, with its powerful dragon carved in the manner of a Kano-school ink painting, represents the transformation of the sword into an object of artistic expression. The dragon is rendered in a style closely associated with the Kano school, Japan’s most influential painting academy from the Muromachi period onward. Particularly notable is the unusual treatment of the head, turned sharply backwards with both eyes presented in profile, recalling the dramatic compositions of Kano dragon paintings.