Shoami Katsuyoshi (1832-1908),  inlaid bronze plum blossom koro (incense burner) and cover, 1889, Meiji Period, Japan. Estimate £75,000-80,000.  Photo: Bonhams.

LONDON.- An inlaid bronze plum blossom koro (incense burner) and cover by the Japanese metalworker, Shoami Katsuyoshi (1832-1908), will be auctioned in the Fine Japanese Art sale at Bonhams New Bond Street on 14 May. The koro, which dates from 1889, during the Meiji Period in Japan, is estimated at £75,000-80,000. 

The globular body of the koro is modelled as a five-petalled plum blossom, and is raised on three short integral feet. The front and reverse are decorated with clusters of pine, worked in shakudo takazogan, and the details around the top edges of the foliage are meticulously applied in gold to represent fallen snow. The shibuichi cover is pierced with overlapping branches of bamboo and leaves shown in various stages of decay. The base is signed with the gold seal, Katsuyoshi, and the inside of the lid is dated Meiji niju-ni nen aki kugatsu: ‘Autumn, in the ninth month of Meiji 22’. 

Katsuyoshi was one of the greatest metalworkers of the Meiji Period. Born in Mimasaka Province, he received his early training from his father, before joining the local branch of the Shōami, a dynasty of sword-fitting makers active throughout Japan, at the age of 18. He developed his practice by studying under his older brother, Nakagawa Isshō, from whom he learned the style of Isshō’s teacher, the great Gotō Ichijō. 

The dawn of the Meiji period came in 1868, when Katsuyoshi was 36. The forces of the Tokugawa Shogunate, the last feudal military government of Japan, were defeated by the armies seeking the restoration of Emperor Meiji, and the victory ushered in the new era of Meiji, meaning ‘enlightened rule’. Under the rule of the Emperor, Japan underwent social, political and industrial revolution, and emerged as one of the world’s great powers. 

Among the significant changes was the Haitōrei edict of 1876, which banned the traditional samurai privilege of wearing two swords, resulting in a loss of patronage for metalworkers such as Katsuyoshi. Not to be defeated, however, he became exceptionally successful at adapting his skills to new kinds of production, including utensils for tea ceremonies, flower vases and incense burners, such as the one offered at Bonhams. His magnificent creations were exhibited at major domestic and international expositions, winning him no fewer than 28 awards.