Various Designs for the Chiseller (Chōkō Shitae Shinajina)
dated 1867
Medium
Ink on paper, pasted into a bound volume
Dimensions
H. 5 in. (12.7 cm); W. 6 7/8 in. (17.5 cm); D. 1/4 in. (0.6 cm)
Classification
Miscellaneous
Culture
Japanese
Department
Arms and Armor
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Howard Mansfield Collection, Gift of Howard Mansfield, 1936
Accession Number
36.120.700
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Various Designs for the Chiseller (Chōkō Shitae Shinajina)**, created by Togyoku and collaborators 1867, is a delicate bound volume of ink drawings on paper, measuring just 5 by 6⅞ inches. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Arms and Armor Department as part of the Howard Mansfield Collection, this Japanese artwork showcases intricate ornamental patterns likely intended for metal chiseling on sword fittings or armor components. The modest dimensions and pasted pages evoke the intimate sketchbooks (zuan-chō) used by Edo-period artisans to plan elaborate decorations. Dated to the final...