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| TSUBA EX. ALEXANDER G. MOSLE COLLECTION SIGNED: YAMASHIRO NO KUNI FUSHIMI JU KANEIE 8.8cm x 8.3cm BEAUTIFUL IRON TSUBA FROM THE ALEXANDER MOSLE COLLECTION. THIS TSUBA DEPICTS TAKENOUCHI SUKUNE RECEIVING THE TIDE-RULING JEWELS FROM RYUJIN, THE SEA GOD. TAKENOUCHI SUKUNE WAS THE AIDE TO EMPRESS JINGU, LEGENDARY RULER OF JAPAN DURING THE FOURTH CENTURY. ON THE BEHALF OF EMPRESS JINGU, TAKENOUCHI RECEIVED THESE JEWELS FROM RYUJIN, THE SEA GOD. THE JEWELS CONTROLLED THE TIDES , WHICH ENABLED JINGU TO DEFEAT THE KOREAN NAVY AND INVADE THE PENINSULA. ALEXANDER G. MOSLE MOSLE WAS A GERMAN ARMS DEALER AND DIGNITARY, WHO LIVED IN JAPAN IN THE LATE 1800'S. DURING THIS TIME JAPAN WAS MOVING FROM THE FEUDAL AGE INTO THE MODERN WORLD. DUE TO HIS STATUS HE RECEIVED THE HELP AND ADVISE OF THE TOP SCHOLARS OF THE DAY, THUS AMASSING ONE OF THE MOST SUBSTANTIAL COLLECTIONS OUTSIDE JAPAN. MOSLE DESCRIBED HIS MOTIVE IN PUTTING TOGETHER HIS COLLECTION AS, "MY DESIRE TO MAKE A LASTING MEMORIAL TO THE EMINENT METAL WORKERS OF JAPAN AS WELL AS TO THE GREAT MILITARY CASTE BY WHOM SWORDS AND SWORD FITTINGS WERE CHERISHED." HENRY L. JOLY (1876-1920) HAD THIS TO SAY REGARDING MOSLE, "MOSLE WAS FORTUNATE BEYOND ALL BUT TWO OR THREE EUROPEANS IN SECURING THE FRIENDLY HELP OF JAPANESE COLLECTORS AND EXPERTS TO IMPART THE PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE NECESSARY TO WEED THE MASTERS OWN WORKS FROM THE PRODUCTIONS OF PUPILS, FOLLOWERS AND IMITATORS." PROVENANCE: ALEXANDER G. MOSLE, SOLD PARKE-BURNET GALLERIES (1948b) AS PART OF LOT 16. PUBLISHED: MOSLE (1909), NO. 415, P. 78; MOSLE (1914), NO.415, PL. XXXVI; MOSLE (1932a), no. 415, pg 164, WITH SIGNATURE DETAIL; JAPANESE SWORD FITTINGS FROM THE ALEXANDER G. MOSLE COLLECTION (2004) DESCRIPTION PG. 36, PG 37, PLATE A .
$3500 USD
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