Catalogue Details
Origin: Japan
Subject: Kokaji the swordsmith, scene from the Noh play
Period: Late 19th century
Medium: Silk and paper; wooden rollers with bone ends
Dimensions: H 149 × W 80.1 cm (58.7 × 31.5 in)
Condition: The hanging scroll is likely to date from the late Meiji or early Taisho period. There are several minor stains on silk and paper due to ageing. The overall condition of the hanging scroll is good. The original paulownia wooden box is preserved and will be shipped to the customer.
Offered by private enquiry. We would be delighted to share the price of this work, together with additional photography, a closer account of its condition and shipping arrangements tailored to you.
About the Work
The Japanese hanging scroll depicts a scene from Kokaji, a popular noh drama that is centered around the creation of a sacred sword and the kami Inari. The dominant colour of the hanging scroll is khaki and ivory.At the command of Emperor Ichijo (980-1011), who received an oracle in a dream, Tachibana no Michinari visits and orders Sanjō no Kokaji Munechika, a renowned swordsmith, to forge a sword. Munechika insists that he cannot forge the sword because he does not have a partner swordsmith, who is as skilful as Munechika; Michinari however refuses to accept the royal command to craft a sword of unique worth and sharpness. At first unable to execute this order, he offers homage at the Inari Shrine where he prays and requests the assistance of the guardian deity of his clan. At the shrine, a mysterious boy calls to him and encourages Munechika by talking about the dignity of a sword and the story of Yamato Takeru no Mikoto. He promises to become Munechika’s smithing partner and suddenly disappears in Mount Inari. When Munechika returned home, changes his clothes for smithing and prays on his platform, there appears before him the deity of Inari who transforms into the spirit of a fox. The deity announces that he will work as the partner of Munechika. The boy who appeared a moment earlier was the transformed Inari deity himself. Munechika, who gained the deity as the smithing partner, successfully forges a sword. Finally, the noted sword “Kogitsune-maru” is completed and engraved with two names; “Kokaji Munechika” on the face and “Kogitsune" on the back of the blade as evidence that the deity apprenticed himself to Munechika.After offering the sword to the imperial messenger, the deity rides on a cloud to return to the peak of Mount Inari
