67 - TSUCHIYA YASUCHIKA V: A SUPERB AND LARGE NARA SCHOOL SENTOKU ‘SPARROW NESTING IN A TEMPLE GUARDIAN’ TSUBA, DATED 1832

TSUCHIYA YASUCHIKA V: A SUPERB AND LARGE NARA SCHOOL SENTOKU ‘SPARROW NESTING IN A TEMPLE GUARDIAN’ TSUBA, DATED 1832 By Tsuchiya Yasuchika V (1787-1852), signed Tsuchiya Nyudo Tou Japan, dated 1832, Edo period (1615-1868) Of sumikirikakugata form, finely decorated in gold, suaka, and shakudo takazogan to depict the fearsome figure of a temple guardian, or nio, with bulging eyes and gaping mouth. A sparrow feeds its young, nestled within the guardian’s mouth, while a second sparrow approaches the scene. The composition is enclosed within a circular reserve, backed by misty clouds embossed on the migakiji ground and further incised with the upper section of a pagoda. The reverse incised in katakiribori featuring three ducks swimming on a lake beside a torii, inscribed 3rd month of the 3rd year of the Tenpo era [corresponding to 1832] and signed TSUCHIYA NYUDO TOU. HEIGHT 10.4 cm, WIDTH 10 cm HEIGHT 2.5 cm (nakago-ana) THICKNESS 0.4 cm (seppa-dai) WEIGHT 276.6 g Condition: Very good condition with minor wear and little rubbing. The nio depicted here is Misshaku Kongo (bringer of life), who is usually standing on the right side and wielding a vajra, symbolizing power, violence and protection. His mouth is open making the ‘ah’ sound which symbolizes the beginning and birth of all living things. Tsuchiya Yasuchika V (1787-1852) is listed in the Haynes Index of Japanese Sword Fittings and Associated Artists, p. 2187 (H 11108.0). He was a student of the fourth-generation Yasuchika and continued the refined and painterly traditions of the Tsuchiya school. Museum comparison: Compare a related suaka tsuba depicting a nio guardian, with a dove on the reverse, dated 19th century, 8.9 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 91.1.790. Auction comparison: For the same subject on a large metalwork charger, see Bonhams Skinner, Asian Works of Art, 5-15 September 2022, Marlborough, lot 1104 (sold for USD 35,655 or approx. EUR 36,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).