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Source Description
The demon queller Shôki appears with his sword drawn on the right side of the tsuba. Part of Shôki's body wraps around the edge and appears on the reverse. He is recognizable through his long beard and his hat. At the lower left is a demon or "oni" in a vulnerable crouched position. The legend of Shôki originated in China. Shôki was an aspiring scholar in China who committed suicide when he failed the examinations to become a government official. The emperor, when he realized the degree of Shôki's commitment to service, awarded him the title of doctor. Shôki then appeared to the emperor in a dream where he vowed to protect the empire from demons to show his gratitude. The graphic border of the tsuba is in a Chinese style.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
29804
label
Tsuba with Shôki the Demon Queller
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
3
Source metadata
id
29804
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Tsuba with Shôki the Demon Queller
description
The demon queller Shôki appears with his sword drawn on the right side of the tsuba. Part of Shôki's body wraps around the edge and appears on the reverse. He is recognizable through his long beard and his hat. At the lower left is a demon or "oni" in a vulnerable crouched position. The legend of Shôki originated in China. Shôki was an aspiring scholar in China who committed suicide when he failed the examinations to become a government official. The emperor, when he realized the degree of Shôki's commitment to service, awarded him the title of doctor. Shôki then appeared to the emperor in a dream where he vowed to protect the empire from demons to show his gratitude. The graphic border of the tsuba is in a Chinese style.
provenance
Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
mid 19th century (late Edo)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Arms & Armor
tsubas
sword components
imageCount
3
pageCount
3
source
import
dimensionsRaw
2 11/16 in. (6.9 cm)
Source extras
cul
Japanese
inscriptions
[Signature] 盛泉堂樫野直信; [Translation] Seisendo Kashino Naonobu (kao).
med
shibuichi with copper, gold, and black lacquer
creator_ids
6738
collection_ids
JMA
exhibition_ids
none
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
faae9424e206623b
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
13a782cb6993143a
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
3
type
photo
mediaId
f2f53e24ac80fe3f
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no