Japanese shibuichi tsuba depicting a suzumushi (bell cricket), signed Tsuchiya Yasuchika VI, 19th century
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
19th century, Edo period
This 19th-century Japanese tsuba, or sword guard, is crafted in the hamidashi form from shibuichi. The surface features an ishimé-ji ground textured with diagonal file marks, serving as a backdrop for an inlaid motif of a suzumushi (bell cricket) with prominent long antennae.
The inlay is executed in a refined combination of gold, shakudo, and silver, which also depicts small rain drops. The nakago-ana includes suaka sekigane inserts. Measuring 5.4 cm in height, 4.1 cm in length, and weighing 57.7 g, the guard exhibits a thickness of 0.4 cm at the mimi and 0.3 cm at the seppa-dai. The piece is signed to one side, reading "Rokusei Yasuchika" with a kakihan. The design is interpreted as a literary reference to the "Suzumushi" chapter of The Tale of Genji or its popular 19th-century parody, "Nise Murasaki inaka Genji," serving as a subtle cultural conversation piece characteristic of the Edo period aesthetic.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Physical characteristics
- Height
- 5.4 cm
- Length
- 4.1 cm
- Weight
- 57.7 g
- Material
- shibuichi, gold, shakudo, silver, suaka
- Thickness mimi
- 0.4 cm
- Thickness seppa dai
- 0.3 cm
Technical characteristics
- Form
- hamidashi
- Details
- diagonal file marks
- Surface
- ishimeji ground
Design
- Inlay
- gold, shakudo, silver
- Motif
- suzumushi (bell cricket) with rain drops
- Signature
- Rokusei Yasuchika with kakihan
Identification
- Source note
- Described from a single auction-house listing published on Invaluable (reproduced with Invaluable's permission). Details apply to that one example; other examples of the type may differ, and the listing is supplementary evidence, not authentication.
- Maker named in listing
- Tsuchiya Yasuchika VI
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.