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.
Click on picture for a more detailed look.