Description TWO FUCHI WITH SAMURAI AND HORSESOne fuchi signed Otsuryuken Miboku with kakihanJapan, 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)One bearing a shakudo-nanako ground and with gilt and silver takazogan inlays depicting a scene with a samurai and a horse surrounded by pines. The second of shakudo, decorated with gilt, copper and silver takazogan inlays depicting two samurais holding the harness of a horse, the back with a pine tree, signed OTSURYUKEN MIBOKU (Hamano Miboku IV, 1773-1846) with kakihan.LENGTH 3.9 and 4.0 cmWEIGHT 17.1 g and 21.2 gCondition: Very good condition with typical associated surface wear.Provenance: From the collection of Dr. Karl Florenz (1865-1939). Born in Erfurt, Florenz was a founder of German Japanology and a translator of important Japanese classics. He also became known for his work on Japanese literary history. Dr. Florenz lived in Japan from 1888 until the outbreak of World War I in 1914. In 1889 he became a lecturer in German language and literature at the Imperial University of Tokyo, and in 1891 a full professor of German literature and comparative linguistics. In 1899, for his translation of the Nihon shoki, he became the first foreigner to be awarded the highest Japanese scholarly degree (Bungaku-Hakushi).