A SUPERB KAKUHA STUDIO INLAID GILT-BRONZE VASE WITH FLYING SPARROWS By Tenmaru Isshi for the Kakuha studio, signed Tenmaru Isshi zo and Kakuha sei Japan, Takaoka, Toyama prefecture, Meiji period (1868-1912) The baluster body rising from a straight foot to a waisted neck with an everted rim, the shoulder applied with two fierce beast-mask handles with gilt eyes and fangs, the body with copper and shakudo takazogan depicting numerous sparrows in flight, some clustered together and others flying alone, amid finely gilt-splashed clouds, above a flat-inlaid band of archaistic designs with stylized phoenix heads in gold, copper, and silver, the neck flat-inlaid in gold with ‘Buddha's hand' fingered citron and stylized flowers, the underside signed TENMARU ISSHI zo and KAKUHA sei. HEIGHT 33.5 cm WEIGHT 4,882 g Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, few small nicks, and occasional light scratches. Provenance: German private collection, acquired before 2007. Kakuha Kanzaemon IX, real name Kakuha Zenjiro, was a member of a lineage of metalworkers from Toyama. In 1869, he started a branch office in the port of Yokohama for export trade of bronze ware, also acting as a retailer for foreign clients in Japan. Auction comparison: For a fine bronze of a monkey and frog by the same studio see Christie's, Peter Petrou: Tales of the Unexpected, 20 January 2019, London, lot 44 (sold for 10,625 GBP). For a bronze group depicting elephants from the same studio see Bonhams, Fine Japanese and Korean Art, 17 March 2021, New York, lot 602 (sold for 20,312 USD).