Ashmolean Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

Okamoto Naoshige (also signing Tetsugendō, Toshiyuki, and Shōraku), an artist of Chōshū, came to Kiōto towards 1750 and studied under Tetsua Kuniharu of the Nara School, dying in 1780. His later signature, Shōraku, is found on most of the imitations of his work.

A common practice of the school generally is the writing of the signature wholly or partly in cursive, accompanied by a seal-mark (not kakihan) in gold inlay or nunome.

Naoshige worked chiefly on iron with figures in bold relief or in the round, enlivened by not too exuberant iroye incrustations and inlays after the Nara manner. A favourite motive is a thunder-storm, with little figures racing for shelter. His most famous pupil, Seiriūken Yeiju, who worked at Ōsaka, often did flat silhouette work in or or shakudō, enlivened by a certain amount of modelling and recalling Chōshū work.

Tsuba in the form of two carp (EAX.11102)    Tsuba in the form of two carp (EAX.11103)    Lenticular tsuba with figures and a tiger in a landscape (EAX.11104)

Lenticular tsuba with shippō diaper of interlaced circles (EAX.11105)    Tsuba with a tiger inside a bamboo rim (EAX.11106)    Lenticular tsuba with two dragons (EAX.11107)

Tsuba with bamboo (EAX.11108)    Tsuba in the form of a Chinese fan (EAX.11109)    Tsuba with vine (EAX.11110)