Yokoya Sōmin

Yokoya Sōmin (1670–1733) was the foremost sword-fitting metal carver active in the mid-Edo period. He is inscribed in the history of metalwork as a reformer who brought a revolution to Edo metalwork. Against the formal tradition of the iebori (house carving) of the Gotō family, he established his own free expressive style, the machibori (town carving), and he is a master who opened a new era in the art of sword-fitting metalwork.

Sōmin was born in Kyoto, entered the path of metalwork at a young age as the son of Yokoya Sōyo, and later was active in Edo. It is said that he first studied the style of the Gotō family, but without being satisfied with its traditional formality, he pursued his own refinement, incorporated the pictorial expression of the Kanō school, and originated katakiribori, creating a new style full of vitality. Whereas the carving of the Gotō family emphasized ceremonial dignity in accordance with samurai etiquette, Sōmin's works are characterized by a free artistry that foregrounds the vivid beauty of nature and the dynamic expression of people and animals.

Technically, he used high relief (takabori) to skillfully render lions, peonies, horses, tigers and other subjects on sword fittings with a sense of vitality. He was also outstanding in his choice of materials: with the iroe technique, he optimally combined shakudō, shibuichi, gold, silver, suaka and others according to the subject, producing unrivaled and splendid color effects. Sōmin's designs, including the lions known as "Yokoya lions" (Yokoya-jishi), had a great influence on later metalwork. In the same period, Tsuchiya Yasuchika and Nara Toshinaga of the Nara school also developed their own machibori styles, and together with Sōmin they built the flourishing of Edo metalwork.

Sōmin resigned from the shogunate's official post of sword-fitting carver that he had held since his father's time, becoming independent, and maintained a free style unbound by family lineage or authority. This stance established the concept of "machibori" and became a great driving force that spurred the development of Edo metalwork in later ages. Today, Sōmin's works are held in art museums and other museums in Japan and abroad, and he has established an international reputation as one of the most important figures in the history of Edo crafts.