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Hi there - I came across this forum looking for information on Chinese or Japanese metalwork. I’ve recently inherited this elephant head, which I think is broinze, and potentially Japanese. Can anyone tell me anything from the foundry marking on the back? It is approximately 8-10 inches high. it’s been in my family for many years, I assume brought back to the UK by a Naval family member.

Thanks in advance!

The elephant is Japanese. The two characters on the right side of the mark read down as "Mitani", a name associated with Meiji period (1868-1912) bronze animals. The characters on the left in the mark aren't clear enough for me to read with certainty. The Mitani name apparently has only come up in the forum in 2018 and 2019 (see links below), one (posted twice by the same person) with six characters of "Made in Great Japan by Mitani" (大日本美谷製)(Dai Nippon Mitani Sei), another in just the two-character name and a third that mentions an elephant but without any photos.

Perhaps others in the forum who know Japanese better than I do can read the two that evade me.

https://asianart.com/phpforum/index.php?method=detailAll&Id=110860

https://asianart.com/phpforum/index.php?method=detailAll&Id=110953

https://asianart.com/phpforum/index.php?method=detailAll&Id=79927

https://asianart.com/phpforum/index.php?method=detailAll&Id=123913

Best regards,

Bill H.

Thankyou! Let me try to get a better picture that is inside the file size limit!

Thanks again

Rob

I've continued efforts to find the unclear characters in the mark on your bronze elephant head. I found an auction listing that said the artist's mark was sometimes "Mitani Tokusei", but written phonetically. When I ran it through an online Japanese dictionary, the only fitting meaning that turned up for "Tokusei" was "Specially Made" (特製). More squinting at the mark does seem to show some indications of a character match.

Another interesting point I found was that some Mitani castings were assembled in the shop of Genryusai Seiya with works by the latter. One featured a trademark tiger from that shop battling a crocodile by Mitani.

Best regards,

Bill H.

That is really interesting - thank you. I’ve always liked this piece and am looking for a good place to display it in my house. This time without a collection of baseball caps hanging from it!

I now have to find out something about some small ivory figures that I’ve found stuffed in a drawer…

Thanks again

Rob.

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