Type: Tsuba Material: Iron with fire gilding Mass: 142.1 g Signature: Unsigned
This elegant kaku-maru-gata tsuba features a diamond-shaped central panel decorated with finely worked gold inlay of floral and foliate motifs. The design depicts pairs of blossoming branches meeting at the center, forming a balanced composition that evokes both symmetry and natural grace. The floral theme is a recurring subject in Edo-period fittings, often symbolizing prosperity, renewal, and the fleeting beauty of nature in Japanese aesthetics.
The tsuba is forged from dark, iron, showing subtle hammer texture (tsuchime) across the surface.
In terms of style, this tsuba bears resemblance to works from the Kyo-sukashi and Echizen Kinai schools, both known for integrating decorative motifs with iron groundwork enhanced by gilt detail. The restrained ornamentation and balanced geometry point toward late Edo sensibilities, where sword fittings increasingly became expressions of taste and artistic refinement rather than pure battlefield utility. The floral theme and diamond framing are also occasionally seen in Mito and Shoami works of the same period.
