Kozuka
ca. 1820-1876 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
In Japan, a handle for a scabbard knife is called a kozuka. This example is made of shakudo, an alloy of copper and gold generally patinated to a rich black colour. It is decorated with copper, gold and shibuichi, an alloy of copper and silver normally patinated to give a wide variety of colours. It shows a Buddhist guardian king subduing a demon amid clouds. The back is richly gilt and striated, except for a sunk cloud-shaped hollow which reveals an escaping oni.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | copper-gold alloy (<i>shakudo</i>) with copper, gold and copper-silver alloy (<i>shibuichi</i>) |
| Brief description | Handle (kozuka) for a scabbard-knife, copper-gold alloy (shakudo) with copper, gold and copper-silver alloy (shibuichi) depicting Buddhist guardian king subduing a demon, signed Toryusai Hogen (Tanaka Kiyotoshi, 1804-1876), living north of the Hanamizu river (Kanagawa province, Japan) |
| Physical description | Handle (kozuka) for a scabbard-knife, copper-gold alloy (shakudo) with copper, gold and copper-silver alloy (shibuichi) depicting Buddhist guardian king subduing a demon, signed Toryusai Hogen living north of the Hanamizu river |
| Marks and inscriptions | signed Toryusai Hogen living north of the Hanamizu river |
| Production | Kanagawa Province does not exist; Sagami Province = modern Kanagawa Prefecture |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | In Japan, a handle for a scabbard knife is called a kozuka. This example is made of shakudo, an alloy of copper and gold generally patinated to a rich black colour. It is decorated with copper, gold and shibuichi, an alloy of copper and silver normally patinated to give a wide variety of colours. It shows a Buddhist guardian king subduing a demon amid clouds. The back is richly gilt and striated, except for a sunk cloud-shaped hollow which reveals an escaping oni. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.261-1936 |
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| Record created | March 2, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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