Meiji Period Tsuba Box

A highly decorative Japanese box from the Meiji period, constructed around an openwork ‘tsuba’ and enriched with finely worked ornaments in ‘shakudō’, copper and gold. The object demonstrates how the specialised techniques of the Japanese sword-fitting maker were successfully adapted to a new type of luxury object during the profound cultural changes of the late 19th century. The circular lid incorporates a pierced ‘tsuba’, divided into concentric openwork bands and centred by an applied oval medallion. This medallion depicts a lively warrior or legendary figure in relief, worked in contrasting metals and highlighted with gold and reddish copper. The dark surface of the ‘shakudō’ provides a particularly effective background for the warmer metallic tones. Around the cylindrical sides, numerous miniature ornaments have been applied in the manner of traditional ‘menuki’ sword fittings. These include a galloping horse, a bird of prey on a perch, wheeled carts, flowers and bundles of arrow plumes. The motifs are executed through a combination of carving, relief work and applied mixed-metal decoration. Gold borders frame the upper and lower sections and emphasise with the compact architectural form of the box. The openwork lid retains several apertures associated with the original function of the ‘tsuba’, including the central opening for the sword tang (nakago) and the smaller openings traditionally intended as ‘kozuka-‘ and ‘kōgai-ana’. Rather than concealing its origins, the maker deliberately incorporated these features into the composition. From sword fittings to Meiji decorative art During the Edo period, sword fittings offered metalworkers an important field in which to display their technical and artistic ability. The guards and accompanying fittings of a Japanese sword could be made from iron, ‘shakudō’, copper, gold and silver, using techniques such as carving, openwork, inlay and applied relief. These fittings became sophisticated expressions of status and personal taste rather than purely functional components. Following the Meiji Restoration, the traditional position of the samurai was gradually dismantled. The ‘Haitōrei’ edict of 1876 prohibited most people from wearing swords in public, causing domestic demand for swords and their fittings to decline sharply. The highly trained craftsmen who had previously supplied the warrior class consequently turned their attention to other forms of metalwork. Boxes, vases, censers and decorative objects were produced using the same materials and techniques formerly associated with sword furniture. Much of this refined work was intended for the expanding international market, allowing traditional Japanese metalworking skills to survive within a new artistic and commercial context. This box is an attractive example of that transition. Its form and purpose belong to the Meiji export market, while its openwork, mixed-metal reliefs and miniature applied ornaments remain firmly rooted in the traditions of Japanese sword-fitting manufacture.