Umetada Motoshige Tsuba
K0011
$2,500
A large classic example of Umetada work signed Umetada Motoshige. 8.45 cm x 7.7 cm 3.1 mm at the seppa dai 3.3 at the mimi. A beautiful rich brown patinated copper plate with classic Umetada hon zogan of leaves and vines.
The Umetada school's greatest master was Umetada Myoju, 1558 - 1631, and he is noted for having developed this style of inlay. He was the retainer to Ashikaga Yoshiaki and later Toyotomi Hideyoshi. There was competition among his descendants and disciples and because no eminent craftsman appeared, their work gradually became controlled by the tastes of the times, and in the end produced work like the Shoami (Click to link to Kaneiye style by Shigenari TS0207). There were two generations of Umetada Motoshige, both of whom worked between 1650 and 1675, according to Robert Haynes (ref H 05928.0 & H0.5929.0) The second generation is frequently omitted from genealogies. Signed work is extremely rare, and whether or not this is a genuine signature is speculative. Boxed $3,575