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

Tsuchiya Yasuchika I [Japanese text], b. 1670, d. 1744, also signing Tōu [Japanese text], was another pupil of the Ko-Nara, who struck out a new line and abandoned pictorial figure-work for more purely decorative designs founded on the impressionist style of the painter-lacquerer Ogata Kōrin. His intention is rather to form an effective colour-scheme by a judicious choice and arrangement of materials than to work out a good illustration of the subject under his hand.

His style was to some extent followed by five successors, all signing Yasuchika, and by a number of pupils, although the later representatives favoured the Ukiyo-ye or Popular School of design and succumbed to the fusion of styles and methods characteristic of much 19^th century work.

Besides iron, the favourite grounds are copper and sentoku, other metals and alloys being drawn upon mainly for the designs thereon encrusted or inlaid.

Mokkō-shaped tsuba with an elephant, chrysanthemum, and tama, or sacred jewels (EAX.10944)    Tsuba with bamboo (EAX.10945)    Tsuba with snarling tiger near waves (EAX.10946)

Tsuba with peony spray (EAX.10947)    Tsuba with flying swallows (EAX.10948)    Tsuba in the form of a tortoise (EAX.10949)

Tsuba with flying birds (EAX.10950)    Tsuba depicting a fisherman looking at a flying cuckoo (EAX.10951)    Tsuba with plants and landscape scene (EAX.10952)

Tsuba depicting Shōki and a demon (EAX.10953)    Mokkō-shaped tsuba depicting a sennin, or Taoist hermit, carrying a peony flower in a basket (EAX.10954)    Tsuba with plants, animals, and figures (EAX.10955)

Aori-shaped tsuba with sea shells and flying birds (EAX.10956)    Tsuba with plum blossoms (EAX.10957)    Mokkō-shaped tsuba with pine cones and needles (EAX.10958)

Tsuba in the form of a flower and with chrysanthemums (EAX.10959)    Tsuba with susuki grass, dewdrops, and stylized moon (EAX.10960)    Round tsuba with Chinese coins (EAX.10961)

Tsuba with squirrel climbing up a grape vine (EAX.10962)    Mokkō-shaped tsuba with vine and squirrels (EAX.10963)    Tsuba with tea ceremony utensils (EAX.10964)

Tsuba with wood grain decoration (EAX.10965)    Tsuba depicting a weeping willow and a rat gnawing the cords of a fan (EAX.10966)    Mokkō-shaped tsuba with weeping willow and boats (EAX.10967)

Tsuba depicting asagao, or Convolvulus, on a bamboo trellis (EAX.10968)    Tsuba with scrolling stems (EAX.10969)    Lenticular tsuba with tea ceremony utensils (EAX.10970)

Tsuba with hand drums and music books (EAX.10971)