T-130 Tanaka Kiyotoshi Tsuba

$16,500

Time period – 1800’s

Top – bottom 6.6 cm / side – side 6.15 cm

Excellent tsuba by the master of the Tanaka School, Tanaka Kiyotoshi.

Kiyotoshi was the founder of the Toryusai School during the later part of the Edo period and was the creator of one of the top three famous schools (the Ichijo and Natsuo Schools being the other two) of that era. The quality and work from some students of the Tanaka school was actually higher than some masters of other schools. Because the Tanaka School catered mostly to the merchant class, the subjects are more interesting and has a design and appeal that is quite enjoyable for modern day collectors. The work is usually outstanding and very very detailed. The iron is unparalleled, and has a special texture known as “Tanaka tetsu”, which must be seen in hand to understand its particular quality. Design of plovers and fishnets is skillfully done and well represented; the feeling of which is not cramped and skillfully placved even though it done in such a small space. It is rare for a masterpiece of this level to be offered to the public.

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T-136 Akasaka Tadashige Tsuba

$10,000

Time period –Edo (1730-1816)

7.8 x 7.6 x .64 at rim

Design of Crescent Moon and Flock of Geese

This is an exemplary tsuba that demonstrates the true depth and ability of Akasaka Tadashige’s renowned skill. The tsuba is thick, yet coupled with the dynamic cutout imparts a serious strength to the piece. The tsuba is done in iron sukashi with rounded Akasaska rim and migaki (polished) finish.

The design of cresecent moon and geese is a classic traditional Akasaka school theme, (Mikazuki Karigane), but is done at such a high level that only the best Akasaka master’s could attain. Indeed, Tadashige is considered along with first Tadatoki to be one of the best smiths in the school. He is rated jokou in the Kinko Meikan. This is truly an excellent tsuba and a cornerstone piece for any collection.

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T-130 Goto Ichijo Tsuba

$8,000

Edo (1667-1754)

8.23 x 8.09 x .43 at rim

Design of Jigami Fan

Iron sukashi tsuba by Hayashi Shigemitsu, second-generation master of the Higo Hayashi school. Verified Shigemitsu works are rare, to find one this well preserved and in excellent condition is almost never ever seen.

The Hayashi school is famous for their rich color. This particular tsuba’s iron is a perfect demonstration of that as it has a deep gorgeous “wet” look to its surface. In addition, for all you jigane lovers out there, the tsuba has the rich dark jigane that is particular to Shigemitsu. If you are looking for a top grade Higo tsuba for your collection, this is a excellent piece. Shigemitsu is known for his natural elegance and this tsuba is a perfect representation of that aesthetic. The design is of Jigami fan motif and comes with kiri wood box and NBTHK Hozon papers attribution to Hayashi Shigemitsu.

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T-130 Goto Ichijo Tsuba

Serious inquiries only please

1800’s

6.64 cm top – bottom, 5.96 cm side to side, 3.8 mm thickness at seppadai

Rare Goto Ichijo Tsuba

Goto Ichijo was the one of the most famous kinko makers of the Edo period and is considered along with Tanaka Kiyotoshi and Kanno Natsuo as the three best kinko-shi. Studying the workmanship on this tsuba, one is struck by the simplicity of the piece. Everything on the tsuba “fits” the composition and is done with much skill and adroitness equal to that of the finest flower arrangement. The shibuichi is done in flawless migaki ji with slightly flowing raised rim. The gold iroe plant work and takabori butterfly are natural and not stiff. Notice the use excellent use of mixed metals such as the tiniest use of shakudo for one of the stems of the plant. The river is done with a special inlay that reflects like mother of pearl and is impossible to photograph the iridescence shining off of it when you hold the tsuba in hand. Signed Goto Houkyo Ichijo with custom box and NBTHK certification. Real tsuba by top master kinko-shi are almost impossible to find and in looking at this piece, it is easy to see why Goto Ichijo was so highly esteemed.

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T-132 Ko-Tosho Tsuba

$4,500

At least 1500’s

8.7 cm x 8.7 cm

Large No Hitsu Ko-Tosho

An all original Ko-Tosho tsuba in excellent condition. Many of these tsuba had kozuka or kogai hitsu added when remounted for later use in the Edo period. There are very few Ubu examples left of these old tsuba, making this a nice find. Most are said to be from the Muromachi period, but is a “safe” guess as the age. In our opinion, it is most likely that many of these tsuba could have possibly been from an earlier period. Tsuba were used like this from the earlier Nanbokucho period for example. Since the attribution is to Ko-meaning old Tosho, there is no question that this tsuba is at least from the Muromachi period. Tsuba has a nice ironplate that is well worked and hammered with beautiful simplistic sukashi of “ryusui” or running water. The design is very poetic and fitting of samurai esthetics of the period. Excellent iron quality and condition, and NOT resized like many old Tosho tsuba.

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FT-52 Owari Mon Tsuba

$3,750

1500-1600’s

 

High Grade Owari Tsuba NBTHK

Excellent Owari tsuba with a design of interlocking mons. The iron of this tsuba is absolutely gorgeous! Top grade Owari have some of the finest iron, and this characteristic shows well in this example. Tsuba such as this do not come up for sale very often, as they are highly sought after. We have gotten some complaints that we do not list all of the “good” stuff on the site, so this is a special opportunity and a chance for someone to get a special piece for their collection. Iron bone in the rim, deep purple black patina, excellent sukashi work all point to a highly graded Owari tsuba from the late Muromachi to Momoyama period. NBTHK Hozon certified.

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T-133 Toshimasa Dragonfly Tsuba

$2750

1800’s

6.2 cm x 5.4 cm x 5.4 mm

Natsuo Styled Signed Dragonfly Tsuba

Very elegant tsuba in the style of Kano Natsuo. Since Natsuo was an important teacher of art in Tokyo, his style was very popular at the time of the late Bakumatsu – Meiji period. During this time, there were many changes in both the country as well as the people. The style of sword mountings changed dramatically as well, mixing with western influence. The new style of mount called “Toppei” became popular among the warrior and military classes. This type of mount, even when used with katana, utilized a small sized tsuba with no hitsu, similar to that of the old Satsuma style but much shorter.

This tsuba is an example of Toppei style koshirae, and even though small, was designed for a katana mount. If it was for a wakizashi or tanto, there would be a slot or hole for a kozuka in the tsuba's surface. High grade shakudo is very hard to photograph properly, so please remember that the tsuba is very dark, deep almost black in color. The work is at the master level with flawless details. Even with such small space to work on the design does not feel cramped or restricted. The style and work reminds us of the works of Kano Natsuo, the most famous tsuba maker during this period. If you like this tsuba, please remember that there is a 3 day in hand inspection period allowed in the US, as we have high confidence that you will enjoy and appreciate this high level of workmanship. The design is of a dragonfly hovering over a plant known as “Kouhone” or river bone as its root looks like that of whitened bone. Tsuba is made up of top grade shakudo and is heavy in weight.

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C-105 Kagamishi Mirror Maker Tsuba

$2,500

Muromachi

75.8 x 76.5 x 6.1 mm 4.3mm at seppadai

NBTHK Hozon certified Kagamishi mirror maker tsuba of crane and tortoise. Rare mirromaker tsuba that was actually converted from a real mirror and made in to a tsuba.  The tsuba theme is of crane and tortoise, animals that were symbols of longevity. The mirror is made from hakudou a type of nickel copper alloy with hitsu ana plugged with lead. Fascinating tsuba in terms of its construction and design, this tsuba is a piece that would fit in any collection.

NBTHK Hozon paper. Comes with custom kiri box.

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$2,200

Late Edo

Unsigned – NBTHK Hozon certified to Tetsugendo school

78.8 x 73.5 x .38 cm

Excellent iron Tetsugendo sukashi tsuba

Design is called “Kobito no Kuni (Country of the little people),” and comes from a Chinese/Japanese book called Wakan Sansai Zukai. While it may seem that that is a giant crane flying over people, it depicts literal hobbits with a normal sized crane flying overhead. The hobbit people are holding on to a rope so that the crane will not take them away. In Wakan Sansai Zukai, this theme refers to an ancient Chinese fable and saying.

Tetsugendo School was founded by Naoshige, also known as Shoraku, who in the late Edo period was considered one of the “famed Kyoto three,” along with Otsuki Mitsuoki and Nagatsune. He was originally a student of Nagatsune, and was said to be equal in skill.

The tsuba itself is in excellent condition with custom box with NBTHK Hozon paper to Tetsugendo school and displays excellent use of mixed metal zogan as well as strong nikubori sukashi.

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$2,000

Muromachi

Unsigned – Guarantee NBTHK Hozon to Saotome if papered with us within a year of purchase.

9.88 x 9.65 x .65 cm

Super large tsuba from the well known Saotome School.

Many kiku sukashi tsuba are attributed to the Saotome School, but large examples such as this without any hitsu ana are rare. These were the tsuba that were used on the No dachi or larger katana of the Koto period and thus lack any hitsu ana. There are 2 types of chrysanthemum design Saotome, this is the type fully carved and indicates that it is of the highest quality. A must have in any serious collection.

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$1,650

Late Edo

Signed –Oshu ju Norisada

top - bottom 7.9 cm
side - side 7.2 cm thickness at seppa dai less than 4.7mm

Large excellent Owari Skull Tsuba

Norisada was a direct student of Owari ju Norisuke and worked in the late Edo peirod. Norisuke was of course for his many copies of other Owari tsubako such as Nobuie, Hoan, and Yamakichi and was famous for the quality of his iron. In this example, the work is of Nobuie-utsushi and has the unusual theme of skulls. As typical of the school, the iron work is superb and comes with custom box and guarantee to paper to Norisada if submitted through us within a year. Hitsu ana plugs are done in lead pewter.

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$1,200

Early Edo

Signed – Bushu Ju Umetada Shigechika

7.51 x 7.48 x .28 at rim

Design of Chiyo-gami Mizutama Sukashi.

Early Edo signed Umetada Shigechika iron sukashi tsuba with shakudo rim. Excellent Umetada work representative of the Early Edo period. The iron has a nice deep patina and the sukashi motif of origami is well executed and imparts a strong balance. Coupled with the skillful touch of gold inlay, this tsuba has a subtle refinement that is indicative of the better works of the period.  Tsuba comes in kiri wood box and has NBTHK Hozon papers.

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$1,200

Muromachi (1400-1500's)

Unsigned – NBTHK Hozon to Heianjo

8.95 x 8.85 x .42 cm at rim

Large Classic Iron Heianjo Inlay Tsuba

Excellent muromachi period (1400-1500’s) unsigned Heianjo Tsuba. It is rare to find a Heianjo from this time period in such good condition with almost all inlay intact. The iron is strong and has an excellent patina. Tsuba is large in size and has imparts classic feeling of Muromachi Heianjo. Tsuba comes with kiri wood box and has NBTHK Hozon papers to Heianjo.

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