Kozuka with Tiger and Bamboo

Description Tigers were considered the strongest animals. They were often shown with bamboo to symbolize the hospitality of the weak for the strong. The tiger is at the bottom of the composition, with bamboo at the top. Bamboo is also incised on the upper back. The lower section of the reverse is made in gold, and this is where the artist signed his name.

Provenance Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Inscriptions [Signature] 安親; [Translation] Yasuchika

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters