Tsuba (Sword Guard) with the Zen Monk Bukan
Title
Tsuba (Sword Guard) with the Zen Monk Bukan
Description
By Tsuchiya Yasuchika.
Kurokawa Institute for Ancient Cultures, Hyōgo Prefecture.
Bukan, who lived in China during the Tang dynasty, is said to have traveled on the back of a tiger he had tamed, the animal's ferocity having yielded to the monk's virtue. The artist who made the piece, Yasuchika (1670–1744), is esteemed for his depictions of people and landscapes that are simultaneously realistic and lyrical, and avoid an excessive display of technique. The patrons requesting his peices would have given the sword as a whole a higher reverence when united with the imagery of the honorable monk.
Kurokawa Institute for Ancient Cultures, Hyōgo Prefecture.
Bukan, who lived in China during the Tang dynasty, is said to have traveled on the back of a tiger he had tamed, the animal's ferocity having yielded to the monk's virtue. The artist who made the piece, Yasuchika (1670–1744), is esteemed for his depictions of people and landscapes that are simultaneously realistic and lyrical, and avoid an excessive display of technique. The patrons requesting his peices would have given the sword as a whole a higher reverence when united with the imagery of the honorable monk.
Date
Edo period, 17th century.
Format
Brass; 3 1/8 x 2 7/8 in. (7.8 x 7.2 cm)
- Date Added
- May 9, 2011
- Collection
- Samurai Weaponry
- Citation
- “Tsuba (Sword Guard) with the Zen Monk Bukan,” Artists, Patrons, and Japanese Art, accessed April 26, 2024, https://artistandpatrons.omeka.net/items/show/25.