by IWAMURA Koshin (1885-1945)
Showa period, 1930s
Gold makie, combed black ground, shell inlay
Brushes, paper knife and hole punch, inkstick
24.6 x 19 x 4.5 (h) cm.
Signed & sealed tomobako
On a moonlit night, between a barely discernable foreshore and a distant horizon, the sea rises and falls in an agitated pattern. The dense wave design of finely combed black lacquer subtly reflects any light to create a strong three-dimensional swell. Scattered across the waves are inlayed kana formed of bluish tinged mother-of-pearl, raden. The kana – kimi ga, ‘your’, and miyo, ‘reign’, are now known as Japan's national anthem, and reference the poem chidori no kyoku, Song of Plovers, from the 10th-century poetry anthology, kokin wakashu.
Opening the box reveals a lively scene of 36 plovers, chidori, wheeling across the clouded sky under a waning, gibbous, moon. The depiction of the plovers in brilliant gold, is as precise as the working of the waves, and archaic in its stylised form of wing feathers, using the finest of parallel gold lines. The background has created skudding clouds of nashiji. The plover is a migratory shore bird, for many reasons traditionally considered an auspicious symbol for the warrior class. Through its ability to migrate in the face of strong winds and high waves, the bird demonstrates perseverance and victory over seemingly insurmountable forces
The set is completed by two brushes, paper knife and hole punch, bound in finely chased silver showing a scrolling floral design, and inkstick on which the full waka poem is inscribed. This is a very refined piece in its design and execution through the classical references and depiction of the eternal virtues of courage and indomitable spirit.