Width: 37cms
Height: 112cms
Date: Circa 1880
£POA - What does POA mean?
Product Code: KPOK140
Artist / Company: Gyoko
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From our collection of Magical Meiji Metalwork, this exceptional pair of Samurai figures signed by Gyoko and depicting two legendary Warriors:
Kusunoki Masashige (1294-1336)
Was a well known Japanese Samurai active during the Kamakura period which followed the end of the great Genpei war which saw a clash of the Tiara and Minamoto clans and the rise of feudalism in Japan. As well as being a famous warrior, Masachige was a devout Buddhist and scholar. Much of his early education was at the Kanshin-ji temple, of which he would become patron of later in life. According to legends the Emperor Go-Daigo dreamt that he would find his most loyal protector under the boughs of a camphor wood tree. The surname Kusunoki means camphor in Japanese.
He is seen as the ideal of Samurai loyalty as he fought for the Emperor to restore power to the Imperial family during the Genko war (1331-1333). He was so devoted to the the service of the Emperor that he went willing into the battle of Minatogawa (1336) of which there was no chance of winning, and as a result died. This last act of blind devotion secured his legend and he became a symbol of loyalty and virtue.
500 years after his death he was posthumously awarded the highest court rank in Japan by the Meiji government. The phrase ‘Would that I had seven lives to give for my country’ is attributed to him. During World War Two he was seen as a sort of patron saint of Kamikaze pilots who idolised his sacrifice for his emperor.
There is a large impressive statue of him mounted on a horse which can be seen outside the imperial palace in Tokyo.
Kusunoki Masatsura (1326-1348)
Masastsura was the son of the famous warrior Masashige, like his father he was a strong supported of the imperial family and fought for them during the Nanbokucho wars (1336-1392). Like his father and the Emperor, Masatsura developed a very strong devotion to the Emperor’s son Go-Murakami who came to power when he was just 12 years old. He was rewarded with the most beautiful woman in court Ben no Naishi as his wife but sadly died at the age of 22 in the battle of Shijo Nawate (1348). Before World War two the story of Masatsura and his father used to be included in the primary school education of all Japanese children and was the subject of a popular patriotic song.
Each stand is 37cm across and 31cm deep. The figures themselves are 68cm in height from their feet to the tops of their helmets. The overall height (to the highest point) is 112cm.
Condition is very good. Please don’t hesitate to contact us for further information.
Gyoko
Gyoko was a metalwork artist based in Tokyo active during the second half of the Meiji Period (1868-1912). His workshop produced a wide verity of metalwork depicting many different subjects.
Samurai
The famous samurai of Japan were a hereditary military nobility caste who help to shape and rule Japan from the 12th Century to their abolition in the Meiji period. In Japan samurai are known as bushi (meaning warrior) they we’re usually associated with a clan or lord and were highly trained officers in combat and strategy. They lived by the code of bushido (way of the warrior) which was Confucian in origin, and taught loyalty, self discipline and respect. They used many weapons including spears, bows and arrows and later on guns, but they are most famous for their swords. The Japanese Samurai blade is made by laminating metal (repeatedly folding) to create a very sharp but brittle edge which could then be combined with a central strip of stronger metal to create a blade. Despite being the best known use of this technique Japan only adopted it in the 1200’s, Western civilizations such as the Celts had been using this method 2000 years before. The right to own and wear swords in public was a privilege granted only to the Samurai, they would usually wear a Daisho (pair) of swords, one larger than the other, there are many sizes and classes of samurai swords but the most common pairing would be the Katana and the Wakizashi.
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