13th Jun, 2025 10:00
Fine Japanese Art
67
A KANO NATSUO SCHOOL IRON TSUBA DEPICTING A BAT IN A MISTY SKY, WITH NBTHK TOKUBETSU KICHO CERTIFICATE
Sold for €4,940
including Buyer's Premium
By Morita Issei, signed Issei and kakihan
Japan, c. 1930
Of nadekakugata form, with two kozuka hitsu ana, one of the hitsu plugged with gilt and incised with the character ‘kotobuki [long felicious life]’, with a kage-sukashi bat flying above hammered clouds, and inlaid in silver evoking ripples in the wind. Signed to one side NATSUO SENSEI NO ZU NI YORI [The design is taken after Master (Kano) Natsuo], and to the other ISSEI with kakihan (artist’s cursive monogram).
HEIGHT 8.2 cm, LENGTH 7.6 cm
WEIGHT 108.2 g
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear.
Provenance: Ex-collection Patrick Liebermann. Patrick Liebermann (1948–2023) was a passionate collector of tsuba (Japanese sword guards). His journey began in 1970 when he unknowingly purchased his first tsuba, unaware it was a sword fitting—an encounter that sparked a lifelong dedication. Over the course of more than fifty years, Liebermann assembled an impressive collection of over 200 pieces, always prioritizing quality over quantity. Rather than adhering strictly to specific schools, periods, or types such as sukashi or kinko, he was guided by the thematic content of each piece. His acquisitions were often made directly in Japan, with a discerning eye for originality and artistic merit. A selection of his collection was exhibited at the Bibliothèque Universitaire in Strasbourg in 2022, offering a glimpse into his refined and deeply personal approach to collecting.
With a tokubetsu kicho (especially precious) certificate of the NBTHK, dated 27 June 1962.
Issei is listed in Robert E. Haynes, The Index of Japanese Sword Fittings and Associated Artists, p. 398 (H 01929.0). Haynes dates his work to ca. 1930. He became a student of Fukawa Kazunori III (H 03024), was a gold worker and also did horimono carving such as obidome, menuki, okimono and small framed works etc. Issei became administrator in the local government of Akita ken and in 1931 he received honors from Emperor Meiji. His alternative art names Shun'yushi and Ikko. He exhibited at the government sponsored Teiten exhibition in 1931 and won an award.
Museum comparison:
Compare a closely related tsuba with a kage-sukashi bat, commissioned by Natsuo and forged by Myochin Muneharu, dated 1858, in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, accession number 11.12171.
By Morita Issei, signed Issei and kakihan
Japan, c. 1930
Of nadekakugata form, with two kozuka hitsu ana, one of the hitsu plugged with gilt and incised with the character ‘kotobuki [long felicious life]’, with a kage-sukashi bat flying above hammered clouds, and inlaid in silver evoking ripples in the wind. Signed to one side NATSUO SENSEI NO ZU NI YORI [The design is taken after Master (Kano) Natsuo], and to the other ISSEI with kakihan (artist’s cursive monogram).
HEIGHT 8.2 cm, LENGTH 7.6 cm
WEIGHT 108.2 g
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear.
Provenance: Ex-collection Patrick Liebermann. Patrick Liebermann (1948–2023) was a passionate collector of tsuba (Japanese sword guards). His journey began in 1970 when he unknowingly purchased his first tsuba, unaware it was a sword fitting—an encounter that sparked a lifelong dedication. Over the course of more than fifty years, Liebermann assembled an impressive collection of over 200 pieces, always prioritizing quality over quantity. Rather than adhering strictly to specific schools, periods, or types such as sukashi or kinko, he was guided by the thematic content of each piece. His acquisitions were often made directly in Japan, with a discerning eye for originality and artistic merit. A selection of his collection was exhibited at the Bibliothèque Universitaire in Strasbourg in 2022, offering a glimpse into his refined and deeply personal approach to collecting.
With a tokubetsu kicho (especially precious) certificate of the NBTHK, dated 27 June 1962.
Issei is listed in Robert E. Haynes, The Index of Japanese Sword Fittings and Associated Artists, p. 398 (H 01929.0). Haynes dates his work to ca. 1930. He became a student of Fukawa Kazunori III (H 03024), was a gold worker and also did horimono carving such as obidome, menuki, okimono and small framed works etc. Issei became administrator in the local government of Akita ken and in 1931 he received honors from Emperor Meiji. His alternative art names Shun'yushi and Ikko. He exhibited at the government sponsored Teiten exhibition in 1931 and won an award.
Museum comparison:
Compare a closely related tsuba with a kage-sukashi bat, commissioned by Natsuo and forged by Myochin Muneharu, dated 1858, in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, accession number 11.12171.
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