| Horai Masanobu, who used the art name Suishoken, was a metalworker active from the late Edo period to the early Meiji period. As another work by Masanobu himself bears the date of Meiji 3 (1870), the inscription "Midsummer of the Fire Rabbit Year" on this piece is considered to refer to the midsummer of Keio 3 (1867). This fuchi-kashira depicts banana plants (basho), characterized by their large, spreading leaves and hanging clusters of fruit. The veins of the leaves and the fruit are skillfully rendered in sukidashi-takabori (carved in high relief) on a finely textured shakudo ground, with gold and silver iroe decoration and delicate gold inlay. The golden plants stand out vividly against the black ground, capturing the vitality of the banana plants and the natural beauty of the scene. This is an exquisitely detailed and elegant fuchi-kashira. The fuchi-kashira passed the NBTHK Hozon Tosogu shinsa in 2011. |
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