Shibuichi,Shakudo and Gold Kozuka by Unno Bisei. Japan Meiji late 19th

Kozuka of exceptional quality; on a hammered Shibuichi background with a light, discreet amati, the artist has chiseled a scene representing a Chinese child feeding a crane, the details are inlaid in relief with precious metals, gold, silver, shakudo and sentoku. On the reverse are incised 6 Chinese characters. The first 3 characters Ki Ryu Ken could be translated as "Pavilion of the awakened dragon" which would be the name of a place or a poetic name for the work as the artists of this period liked to do. The other three characters are the signature of the famous master goldsmith Unno Bisei (1868-1919). This kozuka is in the style of the Mito School, subtle mixture of metals, extreme technical precision, joyful subjects. Descended from a prestigious line of artists of the Mito school, Unno Bisei was one of the best goldsmiths of his time and was named in 1892 "Teishitsu Gigei In" goldsmith of the Imperial court. He was also the master goldsmith at the school of traditional arts of Edo. These works representing Japanese art caused a sensation at the Universal Exhibition of Paris in 1900. Most of the objects bearing his signature are creations of follower artists or students, rare are the works of the artist. All these copies, even the most successful, always present a flaw, a hesitant chiseling, a strike too marked or too weak, a clumsy drawing. We can affirm that this Kozuka is a work of Unno himself because everything is perfect. The choice of subject and its layout are aesthetically fascinating. The mastery of the tool is flawless, the balanced choice of metals is perfect; it was certainly created at the height of Unno's artistic maturity at the end of the 19th century. It should be noted that this is not a kozuka that would have been part of a sword mount; indeed, during the Meiji period, silversmiths made certain mounting elements separately.

It is a small object, but a great masterpiece worthy of the most important collections.
Here too, we can remind kozuka collectors of the famous proverb:
"If a good collector has a thousand objects,
A great collector has only one."

Dimensions of a kozuka. Perfect condition.