Antique Japanese Bronze Baby Crow Tsuba Katsurano Fumiko

DescriptionAntique Japanese bronze tsuba with seven baby crows in silver and gold learning to fly over crested waters. Signed by female Artist: Katsurano Fumiko / Bunshi.Age: Late 1800’sDimensions: 2 7/8″ wide x 3″ highI could find just two other examples of tsuba by this artist online. According to Bonham’s: “It is interesting to note that [the artist] very unusually, was a woman, Fumiko, daughter of the older Sekibun (1790-1872)” https://www.bonhams.com/auction/22338/lot/17/a-fine-and-rare-documentary-copper-tsuba-shonai-school-dated-1853/ You will find a lot more work by her teacher/father, Katsurano Sekibun (artist name Yurakusai Sekibun) if you google his name. (There were two generations, and this is the first-generation Sekibun) Here is an example with same signature: https://ginza.choshuya.co.jp/sale/gj/tloh/003/07.htmA note about the different readings for the name: Katsura is the family name, but there’s an (inconsistent) convention of adding “no” between the family name and given name in the 19th century and earlier. “no” does not appear in the signature, but you’ll see that in English-language auction and museum sites, this artist’s more well-known teacher/father’s name Katsurano Sekibun seems to always appear with “Katsurano”