A SAOTOME SCHOOL TSUBA

Details

A SAOTOME SCHOOL TSUBA
MOMOYAMA PERIOD (CIRCA 1575)

The iron plate in the shape of a chrysanthemum is pierced with approximately eighty spokes. The plate is thinner at the center. The ryo-hitsu are typical of late Muromachi iron plate katchushi and onin tsuba: there is a break in the plate at the top of the larger hitsu-ana--height 8.5cm., width 8.3cm., thickness at center 4mm., at edge 5.25mm.

Provenance

Wallace collection
Glendining & Co., London, July 1965, lot 155.

Lot Essay

This style of pierced tsuba is attributed by tradition to the Saotome school. There is only one signed example extant. This type of wheel plate was adapted into Shingen tsuba. Wires of a variety of metals were woven through the spokes to form the classic Shingen-style tsuba.