| "Tiger and Bamboo," like "Sacred Lion and Peony," is a popular subject that has been depicted since ancient times. Although a tiger is a ferocious beast, it cannot defeat a pack of elephants. However, the large size of an elephant prevents it from entering a bamboo grove, which represents an invincible and safe haven for a tiger. The metalwork on this fuchi-kashira, Mitsunari [光成], is the first inscription of the third generation of the Washida leanage (the second Washida Mitsutoki [鷲田光時]). He was born in 1801, and was the son of the second generation of the Washida leanage, Washida Tokitaka [鷲田時孝]. He studied under his father and went to Edo, where he became a desciple of Yanagawa Naotsugu [柳川直連], the fourth soke of the Yanagawa family. He later returned to Shonai and took the name Mitsutoki, succeeding the third generation of the Washida family. He passed away in 1862, aged 62. This bamboo and tiger theme was a common found in Shonai metalwork. It passed the Hozon Tosogu shinsa in May 2025. |
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