Tsuba: Awabi and sazae
Signature/mei: Echizen ju Kinai saku
Material: iron/ji-sukashi
Era/jidai: late Edo (18./19. century)
Dimensions: 8.1 cm x 0.44 cm
No papers (guarantee hozon)
Price: not available
On this round iron ji sukashi tsuba with two hitsuana we see in radial order a mix of turban snails (sazae), hora and awabi. Everything we can see on the omote side is exactly matched on the ura side. This is a very naturalistic depiction as it is not a simple copy of the omote. The surface has a beautiful patina as it is very soft and dark.
The tsuba bears the signature “Echizen ju Kinai saku” as it was made by the famous Echizen Kinai school of tsuba artists. This wonderful carved tsuba is a very nice example of this school and I’m pretty sure it will get a hozon paper easily.
