Kantei

NH-1024 Rank 85

Menuki · Shisatsu

至察 (Shisatsu)

A pair of shakudō menuki in the form of dragonflies (kachimushi), with gold eyes and spots, signed on the edges 至・察 (Shi Satsu) and papered Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu by the NBTHK.

MenukiLate Edo (1781–1868)Late Edo period (19th century)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

A pair of menuki depicting two dragonflies, the kachimushi or 'victory insect', a warrior emblem because it only flies forward. Each piece is worked in katachibori in shakudō: body, eyes and wings are modelled in the round, with the wing venation engraved in fine line and the segments of the abdomen crisply defined. The eyes and the spots on the wings are coloured in gold (kin-iroe). The photographs show the signature split between the two pieces (warigawa-mei): 至 (Shi) on the edge of one and 察 (Satsu) on the other. The NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (no. 228391, 28 February 2008) describes them as 勝虫図目貫 (kachimushi-zu menuki), 赤銅地 容彫 金色絵 (shakudō-ji katachibori kin-iroe), signed 至・察 (Shi Satsu). The pair was published in Tōken Bijutsu no. 316 (May 1983), which identifies the maker as Yoshida Shisatsu of Ōsaka, held to be the same person as Yoshida Shiei of Kyoto, a pupil of Hashimoto Isshi and later of Gotō Ichijō. The front keeps a deep black patina and all its gold; the reverse shows some verdigris on the fixing tabs. The original seller places them in Yamashiro in the late Edo period, gives 2.62 and 2.68 cm for the two pieces and supplies them in a wooden box.

Strong points

  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper
  • Signature split between the two pieces (warigawa-mei), recorded on the paper
  • Published in Tōken Bijutsu no. 316 (1983)
  • Shakudō katachibori with kin-iroe eyes and wing spots
  • Kachimushi, the dragonfly emblem of victory

Points to bear in mind

  • The reverse shows some verdigris and reddish copper traces around the fixing tabs.
  • The identification with Yoshida Shisatsu comes from the magazine; the paper records only the signature.
  • The dating is given by the original seller; the paper does not state it.
  • The box shows no expert inscription (hakogaki).

Score breakdown

62/100

The score shares out 100 points: Maker 25 · Workmanship 20 · Condition 18 · Period 12 · Paper 10 · Extras 5 · Price 10. It is computed from the record, not from an opinion. Maker, workmanship, condition and period are judged from the photographs and the paper; price is compared only with fittings of the same type.

  1. Maker 19 of 25 Genuine signature of a known maker or school
  2. Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable work
  3. Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
  4. Period 5 of 12 Late Edo (1781–1868)
  5. Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
  6. Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
  7. Price 5 of 10 Rank 13 of 25 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest