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

Murakami Jochiku, son of a stirrup-inlayer of Yedo (about 1760), took to the making of sword-furniture in soft metals with fine inlays and taught some eight or nine pupils, including two of his daughters, Jotetsu and Josui. Wondergul colour effects, either in flush inlay of the most varied alloys or in encrusted reliefs often enriched with mother-o’-pearl and semi-precious stones, are characteristic of Murakami work. The designs are in general purely decorative, and the human figure is avoided. (The work was a great favourite with Sir Arthur Church.)

Tsuba with pine tree and creepers (EAX.11128)    Tsuba with cockleshells and waterweed (EAX.11129)    Lobed and mokkō-shaped tsuba with dragonfly, spider, wasp, and webs (EAX.11130)

Mokkō-shaped tsuba with clematis (EAX.11131)    Tsuba with lespedeza (EAX.11132)    Tsuba with flowering vine and butterfly (EAX.11133)

Tsuba depicting birds flying above Matsushima (EAX.11134)    Tsuba depicting drying nets and birds (EAX.11135)    Lenticular and mokkō-shaped tsuba with asters and a cricket (EAX.11136)

Mokkō-shaped tsuba with bunches of narcissus (EAX.11137)    Tsuba with kikiō, or Platycodon, plant (EAX.11138)    Tsuba with palms and a cicada (EAX.11139)

Lenticular tsuba with Platycodon plants, butterflies, and dragonflies (EAX.11140)