177 - A stunning ivory mounted katana depicting Tokugawa Ieyasu, with CITES certificate

A stunning ivory mounted katana depicting Tokugawa Ieyasu, with CITES certificate dating: Meiji Period (1868-1912) provenance: Japan, Shinogi-zukuri blade, iori-mune (nagasa 65.2 cm). Gilded metal habaki, mumei nakago. Visible hamon (but not at the tip), undeterminable hada. The blade is mounted in an imposing antique koshirae made from ivory components that have been shaped, sculpted and assembled together. The thick mokko-shaped tsuba features ivory mounts glued to the tsuba itself; the border is carved with an effigy of Hoo (Fenghuang) flying amongst the clouds, accompanied by flowers. Remains of glue are also visible on other elements. The tsuka, crafted in three sections, depicts a battle scene set across two planes; in the first, at the bottom, two attendants plead with their general, who wields a short dagger with his partially removed armour and his belly exposed; in the background, in the second plane, a furious melee is depicted between troops armed with spears and swords, under a canopy of pine branches. Higher still, crowning the whole, is the kabutogane, also carved. The scabbard, too, is made up of sections carved in bas-relief (around ten elements). The main scene probably depicts the same general as on the scabbard, in civilian attire on which the Tokugawa clan’s Aoi-mon crest can be clearly seen. The figure is surrounded by his armoured attendants, seated, and flanked by a Jindaiko war cylinder; in front of him, two other armoured samurai (defeated?) prostrate themselves. The other scenes, also depicted in bas-relief, show clashes between bands of armoured bushi. The dividing elements (the bell lugs) feature depictions of dragons and Rindo-mon. The other mounts are all carved, with floral decorations. Two smooth bells, also made of ivory, are mounted on pillar-shaped supports. Small defects and slight signs of use and time. The richly carved ivory fittings present an elaborate iconographic programme of historical and martial subject matter. The central figure is most probably Tokugawa Ieyasu, identified by the mitsuba-aoi crest on his robes and shown triumphant in the last scene on the scabbard. Also represented are the mitsudomoe (on the war drum), an emblem traditionally associated with Hachiman, the rindō-mon, and the kuyō-mon, the latter possibly referring to Hosokawa Tadaoki or Katakura Shigenaga (The warrior leading the charge of his troops on his rearing horse). The scenes appear to evoke episodes from the 1615 Ōsaka Campaign, reinterpreted in accordance with the historical and celebratory taste of the Meiji period. In particular, the scene on the hilt may depict a well-known tradition concerning Ieyasu during the final battle of the Summer Campaign of Ōsaka, on 7 May 1615. The troops of Sanada Nobushige, better known as Yukimura, penetrated deeply into the Tokugawa lines and threw Ieyasu’s headquarters into serious disorder. Later sources and traditions relate that, at the most critical moment, Ieyasu even contemplated ritual suicide. Please note: the item is accompanied by a CITES certificate for commercial purposes, valid within the European Union.