Category: Tsuba

Tsuba: Umetada “Budō-mon no tsuba”

Signature/mei: Umetada

Material: shakudō ground, various soft metals

Era/jidai: Edo

Dimension(h/w/rim): 66.8 x 61.1 x 4.1 mm

Custom made box with cushion

NBTHK: Tokubetsu Hozon (2022)

Price: €9375 / $10350 / ¥1500000

About the Umetada School

The Umetada School has existed since the end of the Muromachi period and has worked for the Ashikaga Shogun’s family for several generations. The Umetada masters were very versatile; In addition to swords, they also made habaki, seppa, fuchi kashira and tsuba. The Umetada were also responsible for shortening blades and creating kin-zogan signatures, as well as engraving Horimono.

Menuki, kogai and kozuka are not known from the Umetada, which is mainly because the masters of the Goto school were commissioned with this work.

The design “Budō-mon no zu tsuba” translates to “tsuba with the design of grapevines”, a design, for which some artist of the Umetada school are famous for. A tsuba with a similar design “Budō ni kochō-mon no zu tsuba” (see comparison 1) by Umetada Myōju is even designated as jūyō-bunkazai. Both tsuba have nearly the same size and are made from a polished shakudō plate, in which the grapes are inlaid in a technique called hirā-zōgan.
The shape of the tsuba is tatemaru-gata (oval) with a fukurin (rim) made also from shakudō.
The tsuba has one hitsu-ana and some sukashi elements. Umetada tsuba are known to have sukashi elements, particular also for this design, for example as the ito-sukashi on the tsuba in comparison 4.
The sukashi on the presented tsuba are placed very delicately below the hitsu ana and underline the design very tastefully. A true masterpiece with the signature “Umetada”.
(Please also note this tsuba by Umetada Shigeyoshi.)

Tsuba comparison 1:

“Budō ni kochō-mon no zu tsuba”

Designated as jūyō-bunkazai and signed “Umeta Myōju”

futatsū-mokkōgata, polished shakudō, hira-zōgan, iroe, dote-mimi, one hitsu-ana

Figure taken from “Tosogu Classroom” by Fukushi Shigeo

Tsuba comparison 1:

“Budō ni kochō-mon no zu tsuba”

Figure taken from “Tosogu Classroom” by Fukushi Shigeo

Tsuba comparison 2:

“Budō-mon no zu tsuba”

Signed “Umetada Shichiza”

Early Edo period (1624-1644)

Very simlar to the presented tsuba, but without sukashi and in futatsū-mokkōgata

Figure taken from “Tosogu no Kansho II”

Tsuba comparison 2:

“Budō-mon no zu tsuba”

Figure taken from “Tosogu no Kansho II”

Tsuba comparison 3:

“Budō-mon no zu tsuba”

Signed “Umeta Myōju”

futatsū-mokkōgata, polished suaka, hira-zōgan, iroe, dote-mimi, one hitsu-ana

Simlar to the jūyō-bunkazai tsuba shown above but in suaka instead of shakudō

Figure taken from “Tosogu Classroom” by Fukushi Shigeo

Tsuba comparison 3:

“Budō-mon no zu tsuba”

Figure taken from “Tosogu Classroom” by Fukushi Shigeo

Tsuba comparison 4:

“Budō-dana ni budō no zu tsuba”

Signed “Umeta Shichizaemon Tachibana Shigeyoshi saku”

tatemaru-gata, polished shakudō, ito-sukashi, hira-zōgan, iroe, shakudō-fukurin, two hitsu-ana

Figure taken from “Tosogu Classroom” by Fukushi Shigeo

Tsuba: Saotome Chrysanthemum

Signature/mei: unsigned

Material: iron

Era/jidai: Momoyama

Dimension: (h)92.7mm/(w)93.1mm/(rim)6.1mm

NBTHK: Hozon (2022 – Mumei Saotome)

Kiri box

Price: €1600 / $1750 / ¥250000

Large Saotome tsuba with no hitsu ana. Due to the size above 9cm and with the typical Saotome Chrysanthemum design with no hitsu ana, it could have been made during the Momoyama period.

Tsuba: Umetada Shigeyoshi – “Tsudagawa River”

Signature/mei: Josyu Nishijin Ju Umetada Tachibana Shigeyoshi

Material: iron, gold

Era/jidai: late Edo

Dimension: (h)83.9mm/(w)77.8mm/(rim)4.0mm

Custom made box with cushion

NBTHK: Hozon (2022)

Price: €1250 / $1390 / ¥200000

Located near Nara, the Tsudagawa River has long been known for its colorful fall foliage. On the slightly oval (naga maru gata) shaped tsuba, we can see the river waves and some leaves flowing on it, carved from the iron plate using a technique called sukidashi-bori. Parts of the leaves and some gout drops are carefully colored in gold.
Nara is not far from Kyoto where the Umetada school was located, which makes this tsuba so interesting as it is signed by Umetada Tachibana Shigeyoshi. He chose a subject close to his own workshop.

Depending on the literature (Haynes, Fukushi Shigeo), there were three or four Umetada artists who signed “Shigeyoshi”. Therefore, it is difficult to determine exactly who made this tsuba. Some similar works can be found at The Met or in the Boston Museum!

The Umetada School

The Umetada School has existed since the end of the Muromachi period and has worked for the Ashikaga Shogun’s family for several generations. The Umetada masters were very versatile; In addition to swords, they also made habaki, seppa, fuchi kashira and tsuba. The Umetada were also responsible for shortening blades and creating kin-zogan signatures, as well as engraving Horimono.

Menuki, kogai and kozuka are not known from the Umetada, which is mainly because the masters of the Goto school were commissioned with this work.
(Please also note this masterpiece tsuba by Umetada.)

Tsuba: Nara – “Swallows and Waves”

Signature/mei: Nara (kao)

Material: brass, shakudo, gold, copper

Era/jidai: Edo

Dimension: (h)76.2mm/(w)73.8mm/(rim)4.7mm

Custom made box with cushion

NBTHK: Tokubetsu Hozon (2018)

Price: €3150 / $3500 / ¥500000

The Nara school of kinko tosogu artist

Along with the Yokoya and Goto schools, the Nara school is one of the three major kinko schools. They represent some of the most important schools of kinko tosogu. Later schools are often modifications or developments of these main schools.
The school produced many students who were allowed to bear the name “Nara”. (Like this tsuba we see here in front of us.) Today we assume 7 generations of the mainline Nara school, wich in turn also had many students.
The founder of the Nara School is said to have been Nara resident Toshiteru (1579-1629), but unfortunately not all details from this period have been preserved.
Incidentally, the Nara artists were officially employed by the Bakufu under the title of “metal craftsmen” (kazari-shi), in contrast to the Goto artists who were employed as engravers (horimono-shi).
Many famous artists emerged from the Nara School, to name just one: Nara Toshinaga. But big names like “Tuchiya Yasuchika” and “Hamano Shozui” were also students of Nara artists and were influenced by this school.

As is often the case, the patina on this brass tsuba has developed really nicely. The raised edge beautifully frames the scene of two swallows flying over waves. As if we were looking at a picture painted by this Nara school artist. Both swallows are decorated in shakudo with some fine copper and gold accents. Gold was also used for the gout drops created by the waves – reaching up to the ura side. The overall impression is clearly a Nara school tsuba. Luckily the tsuba is also signed with “Nara” and “kao”.

Tsuba: Kaga – “Autumn insects with cage”

Signature/mei: Tomomasa Miyazuomi (kao)

Material: shakudo, gold

Era/jidai: Edo

Dimension: (h)74.5mm/(w)70.6mm/(d)4.5mm

Custom made box with cushion

NBTHK: Hozon (2021)

Price: €2500 / $2800 / ¥400000

Tsuba from the school – or the region – Kaga, which when they where signed, are difficult to find, as most of tsuba or kodogu from Kaga was left unsigned. This tsuba shows a famous design: “Autumn insects with cage”. During the Edo period, some artists called “Tomomasa” were active in Kaga. Further research is needed to determine which Tomomasa made this tsuba and, more importantly, when.
Here is another example for Kaga which would make a wonderful set.

The shape is a perfect mix of maru gata (round) and nara maru gata (oval) as it is slightly larger in height than in width, which is not noticeable at first glance but gives a more aesthetic taste to the overall impression. Even though it is more of a medium sized tsuba, the seppa dai is raised to the height of the rim, creating a small valley in the middle of the tsuba, making it very interesting to look at.
While the decorative design elements are placed more on the right side, the upper left part remains untouched. This is of course intentional, because if the tsuba would be mounted on a sword, the sword wielder’s thumb would rest here.
I don’t want to say that it was the thumb of a samurai: Since this tsuba was made during the Edo period, it is very likely that this tsuba was carried by a marchant. During the Edo period, merchants became a wealthy class and were allowed to carry a short sword, the wakizashi. Due to the size of this tsuba, it is surprisingly suitable for a wakizashi.
Also the workmanship and the materials used for this tsuba suggest, that it would have been an expensice tsuba. As samurai became poorer and poorer during the Edo period, it seems that is was the tsuba of a merchant or a samurai of higher rank.
Ultimately, the tsuba could have been a gift for simple viewing pleasure. Tomomasa put his signature on the backside, so that the omote is not disturbed when the tsuba is looked at when it’s not mounted.
But there are some traces near the nakago hitsu ana that the tsuba in fact was mounted and used. As there are no tagane, I think the tsuba was mounted only on one sword, maybe even custom made to fit perfectly without further need of modification.

The subject of the tsuba is “Autumn insects with cage”. In Japan it was common to catch cicadas and place them in a special cage, so that the sounds the cidaca create, it’s music, could be enjoyed.
On the omote we see two cicadas, inlayed with gold in a technique called hira zogan – “flat inlay”. The cicada itself is engraved with fine kiriba.
It’s legs and antennas, as well as the cage, are inlayed in very small hairline carving, which is common and typical for kaga tsuba. Also some blades of grass are depicted in the very same technique.

Finally, we come to the ura side where also a bit of grass is visible along with the artist’s signature:

Tsuba: Edo Higo

Signature/mei: unsigned/mumei

Material: iron, gold, silver

Era/jidai: Edo

Dimension: (h)82.1mm/(w)77.5mm/(d)4.9mm/(rim)3mm

Box with cushion

NBTHK: Hozon (2023) – Edo Higo

Price: €950 / $1050

Edo Higo iron tsuba with diversely artistic designs in gold on the omote and silver on the ura side. The two hitsuana also are typical for a work by Higo artists.

Tsuba: Sakura

Signature/mei: Suzuki Kanju

Material: iron

Era/jidai: late Edo

Dimension: 7.23 cm x 6.95 cm x 0.49 cm

Custom made Kiri box with cussion

NBTHK: Hozon (2023)

Price: €1570 / $1750 / ¥250000

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Many sakura blossoms are carved from the iron base plate. The blossoms extend over the rim and continue on the ura side of this wonderful tsuba. The iron of the plate is a hard and strongly forged iron. Two hitsu ana, the one for the kogai is closed with shakudo.

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Tsuba: Kagezakuramon – Modern

Signature/mei: unsigned/mumei (Lorenzo Amati)

Material: Iron, ji-sukashi, mokko gata

Era/jidai: Modern ca. 2014

Dimension: 7.7 cm x 7.76 cm x 0.52

Custom kiri box with artist seal,

inner fabrik in blue-green “rokusho” (緑青)

Price: €650 / $720

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Lorenzo Amati, a pupil of Ford Hallam, made this modern interpretation of a mokko shaped ji–sukashi tsuba with sakura design. Two hitsu ana, copper sekigane in a custom handmade box with very nice fabric..

Website of artist/smith: Lorenzo Amati -Tumblr

Facebook of artist/smith: Lorenzo Amati Facebook

Here are some impressions of the tsuba:
(Copyright by Lorenzo Amati)

la1

la2

lorenzo_amati_box

lorenzo_amati_3_white

Tsuba: Nanban (Daisho)

Signature/mei: mumei

Material: iron, silver, traces of gold

Era/jidai: Edo

Form: slightly mokko

Dimensions dai: 8.2 cm x 7,6 cm x 0.55 cm (rim)

Dimensions sho: 7.6 cm x 7.1 cm x 0.47 cm (rim)

Price: €900 / €999 / ¥150000

Nanban tsuba as daisho:

The sho still has some visible traces of gold, while the dai seems to have been covered with a silvery metal or lacquer in the past.

The silver fukurin was added later, but it matches the daisho very well and is carefully crafted. All four hitsu ana are also set in silver.

It’s a nice example of nanban tsuba and also a daisho which makes it more infrequent.

Tsuba: Rakan Handaka with Dragon

Signature/mei: Tsuneshige

Material: brass, gold

Era/jidai: Edo

Dimension: (h)71.0mm/(w)65.3mm/(d)5.0mm

Papers: guarantee Hozon

Price: €800 / $888

This tsuba has a slight oval shape (nara mru gata) and is made by Tsuneshige out of brass, a material rarely used for tsuba. On the omote we find the rakan Handaka Sonja (半托迦尊者), or Arhat Panthaka in Sanskrit. He is one of the sixteen disciples of Buddha. In most cases – like on this tsuba – he is shown with his pet dragon which he can keep in a bowl.

On the ura we can see a tree and his signature “Tsuneshige”. Currently the tsuba has no attrinution from the NBTHK. As the I believe the signature is genuine I guarantee at least Hozon.

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