Kanzan and Jittoku by Nakanuma Shokado (1584-1639)

Source: nagaantiques.com

Tsuba - signed "Issando Nagaharu", Sugiura Joi (H 02135.0), Edo, born 1701, died July 24, 1761. Born at the town of Kano in Mino Province. From 1639 to 1711, Mino Province was administered by the Toda Daimyo, and by the Ando Daimyo from 1711 to 1756. In 1725 Joi moved to Shinano Province where Toda Tadazane was daimyo, and became his retainer. Then he moved to Edo Shinagawa area. He was a student of Nara Toshinaga. The NAGA kanji of the art name Nagaharu, is said to have come from the NAGA kanji used by his teacher. His early work is in the style of the Nara school. Later he originated the "joi" school group, and had many students, including his younger brother and other relatives, who mostly worked in his style and could copy his work very accurately. Joi made only a few tsuba but many Fuchi-Kashira and Kozuka, mostly in shishiai-bori technique, where the design is carved below the plate surface. In his later years he became a priest, cut his hair, and took the name Joi for his nyudo name. He is buried in Tokyo at Nirenso Myozoji, where he had lived the last years of his life. His posthumous name was Myoho Kigen, as used by the Ryoshu Shinto group.

Kozuka - signed "Yasuchika", Tsuchiya Yasuchika (H 11104.0 - H 11110.0). This Kozuka can be attributed to a later generation Yasuchika. There were 7 generations of Tsuchiya family school artists signing "Yasuchika" and it is quite a challenge to attribute the work to one of them when it was signed like this.

The 1st Yasuchika was born in Shonai in Dewa Province in 1770, later resided in Edo, he died September 27, 1744. He was born at Tsurugaoka, the son of Shonai Tsuchiya Chuzaemon, who was not a fittings maker. He became a retainer of the Daizen, Matsudaira Daimyo of Shonai. Student of Sato Shoami Yoshihisa, Chinkyu, and also married his daughter. He went to Edo in 1703 at age 34, and became an apprentice of Nara Tatsumasa. By 1716 he was a full time artist living in the Kanda district of Edo. At age 40 he was a retainer of the Bakufu and received a 28 koku stipend. He later took the name of Tou as his nyudo name and turned most of the business over to his son who became the 2nd Yasuchika, they had already worked together for almost 30 years. The 1st Yasuchika is buried at Rinsoin, Kigan-ji at Asakusa, in Tokyo.

The 2nd Yasuchika was born in 1695 and died on February 1, 1747.

The 3rd Yasuchika, grandson of the 1st Yasuchika, died on May 3, 1778.

The 4th Yasuchika worked around 1800 and is said to have been a student of the 3rd Yasuchika and of Iwamoto Konkan.

The 5th Yasuchika - Kunichika - was born in 1787 and died in 1852 and was a student of the 4th Yasuchika.

The 6th Yasuchika - Masachika - died on November 9, 1861. He was the first son of Kunichika and is said to have been a student of his father and of Hagiya Katsuhira and of Tanaka Kiyotoshi.

And finally, the 7th Yasuchika - Yoshichika - was born around 1819 and died around 1880 and was a student of Masachika and of Hagiya Katsuhira.