Musashiya – Ozeki Yahei
(1859-Circa 1926)
The Musashiya Company, was established by Ozeki Yahei and his son Sadajiro. They rose to prominence during the Meiji period as a leading source of high-quality decorative art, particularly specialising in silver work. Sadajiro’s eagerness to collaborate with Western firms like Liberty of London allowed him to bring together some of Japan’s finest artists and craftsmen under the Musashiya name. Many of their creations bore the “Musashiya” mark, while others were stamped with “S.M.”, representing Sadajiro and Musashiya.
Silver Chrysanthemum Okimono signed by Musashiya along with the Jungin (pure silver) Mark Previously sold by Jacksons ANtique
Ozeki Yahei’s journey into the art world began when he opened a workshop in Yokohama shortly after it became an official treaty port in 1859. In 1877, both father and son exhibited commissioned pieces under their separate names in the first Naikoku Kangyo Hakurankai [National Industrial Exposition] and by 1880, the company is recorded as employing twenty-four people dealing in enamels, bronzes, ivory, crystal, carvings, pins, fans, hard stones, tortoiseshell, lacquer, and a variety of ceramics. It was around 1880 that Ozeki had established himself as one of Japan’s leading exporters, his son Sadajiro took charge of the Yokohama branch, where he opened the Musashiya retail store at 66 Main Street. Here, Ozeki commissioned renowned Japanese silversmiths to craft pieces in the Japanese style that catered to Western tastes. They employed extremely high end artists such as Unno Moritoshi 海野盛寿, Yamada Motonobu 山田元信, Kaneyasu Masatoshi 兼康正寿 and Ikeda Minkoku 池田民国. This collaboration gained further momentum when Arthur Lasenby Liberty, founder of Liberty of London, visited Yokohama in 1889. Liberty’s interest in Japanese decorative arts inspired Sadajiro to create pieces that resonated with the Aesthetic Movement, which was flourishing between 1870 and 1900 and found a key market at Liberty’s store in London. It is believed that Ozeki remained in business throughout the Meiji period and into the subsequent Taisho era (1912-1926).