A HIGO TSUBA | Christie's

A HIGO TSUBA

Details

A HIGO TSUBA
EDO PERIOD (CIRCA 1750)

The iron rounded trapezoid (aori)-shape plate has a broad rounded rim. The web is inlaid with seven gold and ten silver Hosokawa crests on the face and five gold and seven silver crests of the reverse. The rim is inlaid in gold nunome-zogan parallel lines and vine tendrils; these repeat on the reverse. The hitsu-ana are of large, indented island (suhama) form--height 7.4cm., width 6.8cm., thickness 5mm.

Lot Essay

This tsuba displays the characteristics of several of the major Higo schools. The niju karakusa are not in the style of either the Kamiyoshi school or the Kanshiro school and may indicate that this guard is the work of an independent artist.