T-154 Hirata Hikozo Tsuba

$15,000

Early Edo

6.54 cm x 6.54 cm x 2.6 mm at the rim

Classic Hirata Hikozo Tsuba

What is better than one Hirata tsuba? Two! This one is NBTHK certified to Hikozo himself making it even rarer and special. Hirata Hikozo was one of the most famous Higo metalworkers and was the teacher to both first generation Jingo and Kanshiro. He worked under the patronage of Hosokawa Sansai who was famed for his love of tea ceremony. As such, Hikozo was highly influenced in this regard and many of his pieces reflect this aesthetic. The most prized Hikozo pieces are done in copper as in this example.

Design is of namako (sea cucumber) sukashi and was copied by the famed swordsman Miyamoto Musashi in the final years of his life when he too was under patronage by Hosokawa. Again the finishing work is what really sets Hikozo apart and this is no exception. The excellent coloring achieved in the copper as well the tebori carving work on the face and back of the tsuba is well executed. The rim is masterful and is a mix of copper and shakudo and has a great feeling and shape that only an expert could do.

Hikozo is considered one of the most desirable kinko-shi and it is easy to see why when examining his work in detail. Tsuba from Hikozo are extremely rare and are one of the pinnacles of kodogu collecting. Comes with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper and custom box.

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FT-146 Rare Signed Goto Mainline Tsuba

$13,500

Edo

7 cm x 6.6cm x 4.7 cm

Tsuba from the mainline Goto School are very rare, signed examples even more so.

The Goto Masters that did the attributions knew all of the secret distinguishing marks as well as had access to the records that were passed down to each Goto master. As a result, they were very strict, even having their own masters left to do the appraisal of previous generations.

Goto Mitsutaka (Enjo) was the 13th master, and was known as one of the best for attributing previous masterworks. This tsuba, made of top grade shakudo, has a design of solid gold tigers made by Goto Renjo (10th master). Mitsutaka remounted the tigers on this tsuba (which was very common for top pieces in the Goto family). The tsuba is made by Mitsutaka whose skill is considered as good as Joshin and even the 1st master Yujo.

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T-144 Tanaka ToshikageTsuba

HOLD

Late Edo

7.25 x 6.2 x .49 cm

Superb Tanaka Toshikage Tsuba of Phoenix.

Toshikage was a top tier student who studied directly under Tanaka master Kiyotoshi. The Tanaka school was most famous during the 1700's. They were known for their innovative style, and the fantastic iron patina that separated them from the other schools of kinko. This tuba is a fabulous representation of both their skill in design and their iron patina. The design is of Ho'o bird (Phoenix) which is said to live in the Kiri tree. It was seen as a divines symbol because it was said to never touches the ground and thus was compared to the Emperor and Empress. It is known as a symbol of holiness and mercy as it is known to never eat insects or animals. Tsuba comes in custom box and has a hakogaki by Sato Kanzan and was published in Shibata Mitsuo's Tsuba Hyakuten.

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T-138 Signed Hayashi Shigemitsu

$8,000

Edo (1730-1816)

7.72 x 7.44 x .45 at rim

Design of Scattered Cherry Blossoms Sukashi

What is better than an unsigned Hayashi Shigemitsu? An unusually rare signed example by the second generation Higo master of course! It is said that there are probably less than 15-signed Hayashi Shigemitsu tsuba in existence. Whatever the case they are few and far between as he did not sign his tsuba in deference to who he was making them for and because he style of signature was done with a fine chisel, causing the signatures to literally wear down and become lost.

In this particular tsuba, Shigemitsu makes Higo classic use of gold nunome zogan on an excellent iron plate that displays all the characteristics that the Hayashi school is known and famous for.

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T-152 Nishigaki Kanshiro Tsuba

$4,750

Early Edo

7.79 cm x 7.23 cm x 3.2 mm at the rim

Excellent Hirata Tsuba

Rare to find good representations of the Hirata school, Hirata Hikozo was one of the most famous Higo metalworkers and was the teacher to both first generation Jingo and Kanshiro. He worked under the patronage of Hosokawa Sansai who was famed for his love of tea ceremony. As such, Hikozo was highly influenced in this regard and many of his pieces reflect this aesthetic.

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T-152 Nishigaki Kanshiro Tsuba

$4,000

Early Edo

8.01 cm x 7.8 cm x 5.0 mm

Excellent NBTHK Hozon Nishigaki Kanshiro Tsuba

Classic Higo Kanshiro iron tsuba are always very enjoyable and important works to study. Design is done in sukashi and is known as nagekiri (paulownia) tree. First generation Kanshiro was a student of Hirata Hikozo. His works are famous for their shape, elegant improvisation and relaxed feeling. If one were to compare the work of Haashi Matashichi and Kanshiro, Matashichi can be thought of as the classical concert pianist maestro and Kanshiro like the great improv jazz musicians.

This tsuba is an excellent representation of Kanshiro's ability. The shape of the stub has a rough elongation that is typical Kanshiro, The seppa is rough and is purposefully done in this manner in the tradition of the times. The sukashi is also elegant and skillfully executed in the natural way that Kanshiro worked in. The hitsuana beautifully demonstrate his personality as well. The paulownia tree kebob is graceful in feeling and completes this strong piece. NBTHK Hozon certified to Kanshiro and comes with custom box. Some wear on kogai ana but does not detract from the enjoyability of the piece.

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T-150 Kusakari Kiyouki Tsuba

HOLD

Late Edo

8.27 x 7.63 x .43 cm

Excellent Brass Tsuba with Sendai Inlay

Design is of one of the seven gods of good luck, Jurojin who was the god of longevity. He is often depicted with other long living creatures such as tortoise, crane, and deer as the case in this example. It is rare to find good large brass tsuba examples and even rarer to find one with such excellent inlay work and in excellent condition. This type of inlay is famous in the Sendai region and is an superb representation of the work. Kiyoyuki was born in Sendai and studied under the second Kiyosada. He was the son of the first Kiyosada and then later became a student of Omori Terumitsu and moved to Edo.

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T-151 Owari Tsuba

HOLD

Momoyama

7.92 x 7.87 x .52 cm at rim

Classic Momoyama Owari Tsuba of Yanagi and Sagi

Design is of Yanagi (Willow Tree) and Sagi (Heron). Strong example of open Owari sukashi design in the Momoyama period. The iron has a nice age and feel to it with strong Owari rim and excellent sukashi work. The patina has the classic dark blue black of good Owari and is good representation piece of the school. Good iron tsuba are getting harder and harder to find. This is a piece will hold up in any good iron collection for a long time and is a good piece to study.

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T-148 Kenjo Ko-Kinko Tsuba

HOLD

Momoyama

7.2 cm x 6.3cm x 4.2 cm

Top Class Kenjo-mono Momoyama Period Tsuba

Kenjo-mono refers to items that were used by distinguished higher up officials and samurai and are usually of designs that are more formal in nature, reflecting their status and position in ancient Japan. The workmanship and materials are of highest quality and no expense was spared in construction. This tsuba reflects all those traits with its deep jet black shakudo and incredible weight from the higher gold content in the shakudo. The nanako work is superb as well, in fact the piece almost looks brand new except for the nanako wear seen on the almost smooth rim. The family crest inlay are skillfully inlayed as well. Excellent tsuba to own as a collector item or for a top grade mount. Comes with NBTHK Hozon paper to Ko-Kinko and custom box.

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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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T-140 Akasaka Four Seasons Tsuba

$1,650

Mid Edo

7.45 x 7.00 x .65 cm

Excellent Iron Akasaka Tsuba

Unsigned Akasaka school iron tsuba. A superior design tsuba made by one of the early Akasaka school masters. The theme is the four seasons represented by different flowers and an ice crystal. The tapering seppa dia area, iron quality and the design suggest that this may have been made by Tadamasa I who is listed as having died in 1657, however the work is most likely a homage to a design by one of the first Tadatoki's work. This design is also illustrated in Tsuba Zufu. NBTHK Tokubetsu Kicho paper.

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T-149 Higo Nakane HeihachiroTsuba

$1,500

Late Edo

8.25 x 8.3 x .28 cm

Published in Ito Mitsuru's Hayashi Kamiyoshi Book

Classic Higo Nakane Heihachiro Tsuba. He was a retainer to the Higo Daimyo and was famous for his silver wire fret inlay. Note the tsuba is not worn or damaged but intentionally made in this distressed style to convey the Higo sense of "wa" and Japanese design so typical in Hikozo and other Higo masters. The design is of warabi (bracken) sukashi and raimon (thunder) inlay. This type of tsuba is famous and is found in many top level Higo Koshirae and has provenance of being published in Ito Mitsuru's Hayashi Kamiyoshi book page 395 #8. Also has NBTHK Hozon paper and custom box.

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T-146 Tanaka Toryusai Tsuba

$900

Late Edo

8 x 7.3 x .41 cm

Design is of plum blossom, bird, and moon over river.

This excellent tsuba is a artful representation of how talented the Toryusai school really was. Tanaka Kiyotoshi, the founder of the school, created a whole new style in Tsuba that made him one of the most respected smiths of the Late Edo period. His works and that of his students became known for their excellent iron finish and good use of different alloys in iroe and zougan. This particular piece shows all the strong characteristics of the school and can be appreciated as good example work of the school.

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T-147 Amida Yasuri Tosho Tsuba

$750

Early Edo

8.7 cm x 8.7 cm x 3.9 mm

Nice large Tosho example

Iron Tosho tsuba design of toys and monkey with amida yasurimei and copper plug.The mon sukashi work is well done and is of toys and perhaps kuzari (falling) monkey. Tsuba is super large in size and quite enjoyable for the a collector looking to study a nice tosho tsuba at fair price. Note copper and lead pewter plus usually indicate older plugs.

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