Type: Tsuba Material: Iron Estimated Age: Mid–Late Edo period (18th–19th century) Mass: 90.8 g Signature: Unsigned
This iron tsuba features a bold sukashi (openwork) design accentuated by low-relief carving. The tsuba depicts a person in a rowboat braving extremely rough seas.
The tsuba is forged from iron with a fine granular surface texture. The rim is smoothly finished, with subtle signs of age but no structural damage. The sukashi elements are deep and precise, with pleasing asymmetry that keeps the eye moving across the design. Small areas of patina variation around the nakago-ana and sukashi edges are minor but present.
This tsuba shows influence from Higo or possibly Shoami work, where naturalistic themes were executed in stylized, open compositions. The bold yet graceful forms are in keeping with Higo preferences for strength of line and expressive silhouette, though it could also be attributed more generally to a provincial artisan working in that aesthetic tradition. The absence of signature is common among such functional yet artistically capable guards produced for samurai who valued quality over attribution.
