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Hello all,

Recently I bought two lovely Japanese late Meiji Period Bronze Okimono of Tigers. Thanks to an earlier post, one has already been identified as a work by Atsuyoshi for Maruki Shaku however I have been unable to identify the other.
In my opinion, the Atsuyoshi tiger is far superior in its modelling, it just appears more natural as if a moment in life caught in bronze whereas the one I am enquiring about today seems to be a bit "staged" but that's just my opinion.
Included are photos of the front, back and mark on the bronze I need help identifying.
Many thanks in advance for any help rendered.

The seal reads 'Kakuha sei' (角羽製, made by Kakuha).

Kakuha Kanzaemon IX (角羽勘左衛門), real name Kakuha Zenjirô (角羽善次郎) was a member of an old lineage of metalworkers from Toyama. In 1869, Kanzaemon started a branch office in the port of Yokohama for export trade of bronze ware and also acting as a retailer for foreign clients in Japan.

Date of this okimono is ca. 1890-1900.

Guy.

Many thanks gentlemen, I thought this one would be a tough one.
I really appreciate your assistance.
Just as an aside, in your opinion, which is the finer quality tiger; the one pictured here or this other Miyabe Atsuyoshi?
Purely opinion

Indeed, the Atsuyoshi pieces ar always of very good quality.

Quality or size could differ. For example in the case of Genryûsai Seiya the quality of the metalwork and okimono, ranged from average to a top-end finish - from cheap to expensive.

Guy.

Just for clarity & ease of navigation, I'll include the marks on the Atsuyoshi Okimono here as well.

The signature on your tiger reads most probably 厚義作 ('Atsuyoshi saku'), followed by the seal of the Maruki Company (まるき社製 - 'Maruki sei').
This okimono was designed and cast by Atsuyoshi who worked on behalf of the Maruki Company in Tokyo.

This craftsman is not to be confused with Miyabe Atsuyoshi (宮部篤良).

Guy.

Not sure if only the gentlemen whom answered your initial inquiry were the only ones to respond with opinion of quality of not, but I’m just going to throw in an opinion of my own. :)

The first tiger displayed in the post being of, imo, lesser quality in craftsmanship, or perhaps years of experience, or maybe even the aesthetic expression of that artist, than the 2nd tiger. If wanting to sell, I would either list them individually, or as an absolute set sale. The 2nd tiger exhibits a mastery of not only anatomical understanding, but also that elusive quality of expression brought to life through the artistry and capability of the individual artist. Both are quite lovely, but only one, in my opinion, is amazing. Thank you

Thanks for your response, it's exactly what I asked for & wanted.
I only have my own eyes to look through so others opinions are always enlightening.
You 100% echo my own opinion. The second or Atsuyoshi Tiger is to my eye a far superior naturalistic bronze. To me, he looks like someone just woke him up & he's none too pleased about it...not fiercely angry, just very grumpy. It's like a candid moment from nature frozen in time in Bronze.
The first tiger, the Kakuha Kanzaemon one is an earlier piece, he was born in 1835 & died in 1885 so he was a metalsmith of the old guard & the Edo period, before the Meiji Restoration saw the banning of wearing swords & the abolition of the Tokugawa Shogunate. This upheaval saw all of the craftsmen involved in the creation of artistic arms & armament for the Shogun & Samurai found themselves out of work. Sooner than resign themselves to history, with the help of several pivotal statesmen etc they reskilled creating decorative wares to export to the west. At this time there was a concerted effort to fuse Western classical art (i.e. realism such as the Marble Sculptures of Classical Greece & Rome, the old masters etc) with traditional Japanese subjects. I think the Kakuha bronze is very stiff and kind of lifeless, I'm not sure why he is roaring...it looks staged but this was prior to the 1889 pivotal point in Japanese Art History.
Atsuyoshi who was very much an Artist of the Meiji Period crafted his tiger as though it was very much taken from reality.
This period of rapid modernization in Japan fascinates me. I don't necessarily think it was for the best but it happened & as a result of it, we have the magnificent decorative arts of the period to marvel at.

So sorry if I rambled on but I'm passionate about the topic.

Marking reads,
角羽製　- Kakuha-sei - Made by Kakuha

Kakuha Kanzaemon 角羽勘左衛門 was a merchant who manufactured and sold Takaoka bronze/copperware in the Meiji period with shops in Yokohama and Takaoka.

With regards,
I.Nagy

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