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Posted

Valery's recent thread featuring a tsuba inscribed RAKU HOKUKYO ICHIJO with kao has prompted me to enquire further regarding the various kao of this artist.  It is generally accepted that he used two kao during his long period of metalworking, and both of these feature on certified pieces.  The majority of his work bears the complex kao that Joly identifies as 'Hokkyo', but the minority (two of a total of 24 examples illustrateed in Kinkō Meikan) are of a simplified 'n' form.

 

If, as Joly suggests, the most frequent kao represents his Hokkyo status, awarded in 1824, presumably this would no longer be relevant when he was elevated to Hōgen in 1863.

 

But, search as I may, I can find no information regarding the adoption of this second kao.  On what date, or under what circumstances did he use this?  Did it signify his Hōgen status?   Any help would be much appreciated.

 

With thanks, John L.

Posted

I have seen the one kao (the one that is z-tori) on pieces signed hokkyo and before. The second kao (boi-with stroke) on pieces signed hokkyo. I haven't seen a hogen signed piece that I recall. I must be signal to something, a good guess would be his elevation, John. John

Posted

There are 2 pics with Hogen Ichijo Mei in Markus Sesko "Signatures of Japanese Sword Fitting Artists".Kobayashi Terumasa ("Sword fitting in the late 16th-18th centuries") shows a Tsuba with a Goto Hogen Ichijo mei.I have only 4 examples with the Hogen-Mei in my database:look at the pic.Ludolf

post-55-0-86684200-1440076449_thumb.jpg

Posted

Thank you both for your replies.

 

Ludolph's posting rather adds to my confusion since one of his four illustrated Hōgen mei includes a third variation of the Ichijo kao.  But at least we have so far seen that none of his Hōgen mei include what Joly, on p.21, iII of his Shosankenshu, describes as a 'Hokkyo' kao.  This appears to confirm Joly's contention.

 

So now we have three distinct kao for this artist; where do I go from here?

 

John L.

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