JAPON - PÉRIODE EDO (1603-1868) - XVIIIe SIÈCLE Pair... Lot 9

JAPON - PÉRIODE EDO (1603-1868) - XVIIIe SIÈCLE Pair of chests Wooden frame, japanese lacquer H. 39 cm, W. 63 cm, D. 43 cm This pair of rectangular lacquer chests decorated with flowers and large stylized gold leaves on a black background open with removable lids. Hinges and spandrels in gilt and engraved copper and wide drooping handles complete the ornamentation. Japanese chests or hasami-bako are very popular decorative objects. They are sought-after because they fit perfectly into an interior thanks to their presence, both sober in their lines and rich in their gilded decorations and finely worked Bronzes. Our pair of chests bears the coat of arms or mon of the Toyotomi clan (fig. 1), from the province of Owari. It was founded by a talented military man (later known as Toyotomi Hideyoshi) of very modest social background (his father was a simple ashigaru, a peasant soldier), born in 1537. The young Kinoshita Tokichiro first enlisted as a soldier in the service of a small lord of Owari (Matsushita Yukitsuna), a vassal of the Imagawa clan, then passed into the service of Oda Nobunaga, who rewarded his remarkable military dispositions (especially after the complete defeat of the powerful Imagawa clan) by promoting his social ascension. He took the name of Hashiba Hideyoshi in 1567, when he became one of Oda Nobunaga's principal generals (after the victorious siege of Inabayama Castle, largely due to his military and diplomatic skills). Nobunaga then raised him to the rank of lord (Daimyo) of several provinces. After the assassination of Nobunaga, Hideyoshi quickly eliminated the felon general (Akechi Mitsuhide), and took the ascendancy over the Oda clan, then was adopted by a nobleman of the imperial court (Konoe Sakihisa, member of the Fujiwara clan), appointed regent (Kampaku) in 1585, and in 1586 he obtained a new name as clan founder from Emperor Go-Yozei, and thus became Toyotomi Hideyoshi at the age of 48. The existence of the clan was short-lived, as Tokugawa Ieyasu put a d