Knife Handle (Kozuka) 1825 - 1875

This is a knife handle, or Kozuka, made by Kanō Natsuo, a metalworker born in 19th-century Japan. The handle is decorated with a delicate design of clouds. The work was produced in a time of enormous upheaval, during the Meiji Restoration, when the centuries-old feudal system was dismantled and Japan opened up to the West. The Kanō school of art, to which Natsuo belonged, had been patronized by the ruling shogunate. The loss of this patronage, combined with the influx of Western art and culture, meant that artists like Natsuo had to find new ways to survive. He and others adapted their skills to the production of luxury goods for export, like this knife handle. Understanding the social conditions and institutional changes of the time helps us appreciate the artistic innovation and resilience on display here. Through museum archives, letters and other historical documents we are able to understand the choices made by artists, the different forms of patronage, and how artists adapted to social and economic changes.