Japanese Silver Buckle: Mitsuhara?

[wlwhittier]

This buckle (marked inside: 0.950 over STERLING) has been attributed to Katsura Mitsuhara.
I cannot say that it came from my uncles estate with certainty, so I have no familial provenance for it.
It has been worn and bears surface scratches, and a small dent in the lower left-hand corner.
The overall style & size is similar to an English belt-buckle Dad wore in the 1930s & '40s.
The buckle face is 5.5cm X 3.1cm; weight is 23gm; Picture of backside on demand.

Buckle face

Signature area

Outside Box-lid



Now that I've gone this far, I realize I should have searched the site for Mitsuhara prior to posting this topic.
I will correct that lapse in research today, and apologize for this (probably unnecessary) clutter.

As always, I'm grateful for your interest, and welcome all comments. wlw

[dognose]

Hi,

The forum is not just for questions and answers, we enjoy see the collections of others (especially when the images are of this fine quality). We all learn something when such items are shared.

Clutter! Never!

Yes, it would be great to see an image of the other side.

Trev.

[wlwhittier]

The loop opening is ~2.9cm; belt thickness would be ~3mm.

I'm beginning to form the opinion that Mr. Mitsuhara wasn't the manufacturer of this buckle, except to carve (if that's the correct term) the bamboo image on the front. This fellow's work has commanded high hammer prices at auction; as far as I can determine, he was an artist, not much involved making items for retail sale. I'll keep looking for other examples of his work.

I'm learning...thanks for the roses, Trev! wlw

[davidross]

Perhaps I've overlooked something somewhere, but I don't see any prior posts regarding Katsura Mitsuharu (1871-1962).

As you mention, the buckle is signed, "carved by Mitsuharu." The buckle probably was mass-manufactured.

The box is signed "At Furoan, Carved by Mitsuharu," which looks correct, and the signature engraved on the buckle also looks exactly like Mitsuharu's. That said, the overall impression of the buckle is that of mass-production (albeit with some hand finishing), rather than of the exquisite craftsmanship of a celebrated artist like Mitsuharu.

My guess is that Mitsuharu may have done the initial artwork and authorized this buckle to be produced in some quantity in the immediate postwar period of the Occupation. The buckle simply does not compare with the painstakingly intriciate, labor-intensive masterpieces produced by Mitsuharu at the height of his powers, from the 1890s through the 1930s. The "950 STERLING" mark is one I believe dates to the first decade or two following the end of WWII and was meant to cater to the non-Japanese, GI and tourist market.

Please bear in mind that this is only one opinion. Thanks for posting more of your collection.

DR