A Pair of Silver Vases

Unno Shomin learned the art of metalwork from his uncle Unno Yoshimori (1785-1862) and apprenticed at the age of nine to Hagiya Katsuhira (1804-1886), both leading makers of sword fittings of the Mito school. At the same time he studied painting under Adachi Baikei and calligraphy under Take Sojiro. In 1871, he went to Tokyo, where his elder brother lived, working under the name Motohira. He assumed the name Shomin in reference to the great metal smith Yokoya Somin (1670-1733). In 1890, Shomin was appointed to the Tokyo School of Art (present-day Tokyo University of the Arts), where he was to work with Kano Natsuo (1828-1898). He was made lecturer in metalwork in 1894.

Shomin won prizes at the first, second and several later Domestic Industrial Exhibitions. His work is considered second only to that of Kano Natsuo, who strongly influenced him, and is thought to have produced joint works with Shomin. Like Natsuo, Shomin was honored as a Teishitsu gigeiin [Imperial artist] in 1896.

A similar pair sold Christie’s New York, Japanese and Korean Art, 23 March 2011, Lot 782