Shokatei School tsuba with NBTHK Hozon Tosogu. Founder and only member of Shokatei School I managed to find was Shokatei Motohiro. He was a student of Otsuki Mitsuoki and Otsuki Mitsuyoshi. He worked in combination of Otsuki and Goto School styles. His works are dated 1790, 1793, 1795 and 1807.
This tsuba is decorated with children playing on a huge anchor. My knowledge of 19th century Japan is insufficient to understand the meaning of this picture. However one of the kids bottom looks exposed. Therefore I would guess it is of comedic charakter, similar in this regard to some works of Otsuki Mitsuoki. Sword fittings of comedic charakter are extremely rare. Is it perhaps a practical joke on those who study fittings with magnifying glass?:) It surely looks like that, intended or not..
Made of shakudo nanako with gold and silver iroe.
Size: 72 mm x 66 mm
