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Jsuba

and Japanese Sword in

Fittings

the Collection of the

Cooper-Hewitt

Museum

The Smithsonian Institution's National

Museum

of

Design

Chronology

Jomon

3000-200 B.C. (approx.)

Yayoi

200 B.C.-300 A.D. (approx.)

Tiimulus (Dolmen)

300-645

Asuka

552-710

Nara

710-794

Heian

794-1185

Kamakura

1185-1333

Muromachi

1334-1573 1334-1392 1392-1573

Nambokucho Mid-Late Muromachi

Momoyama

1573-1615

Edo

1616-1867

Meiji

1868-1912

© 1980 by the Smithsonian All

Institution

rights reserved

Library of Congress Catalogue No. 80-67169

Designed by Gottschalk

+

Ash

Ltd.

HK

Tsuba

I

SEP

2 6 1979

.,; and Japanese Sword in

Fittings /

the Collection of the Cooper-Hewitt

The Smithsonian

Museum

of

Institution's National

Design

Museum

Foreword

The

collection of

fittings at tfie

Japanese tsuba and sword

Cooper-Hewitt

bequeattied by George

This catalogue,

Museum was

Cameron Stone

in

1936.

A

arms and armor, Mr Stone

collector of Oriental

specialized, particularly in his later years,

in

made

possible through

the generosity of the Charles E. Merrill Trust,

the

briefly

describes the work of

of tsuba artists. full

many major

discussion and prohibit mention of every

study of Japanese weaponry. His monumental

school and

Glossary of the Construction, Decoration, and Use

descriptions

of Arms and Armor in All Countries and All Times

able and little-known art form.

(1934)

is still

decades

after

its initial

publication.

to the nineteenth centuries.

Many

of the

major

clearly placed

hundred years. The

on those

collection, like

accumulations, touches the iron

of the last

two

most Western

fitting

makers

of

the seventeenth century and nicely represents the tastes, interests, in

and state

of

the early twentieth century.

Western knowledge

A number

of

unusual, even unique, metalworking techniques

brought to heights of perfection by the Japanese are well

documented

in

the Stone collection.

availability of this material for

lovers provides a glimpse of a fascinating sculptural style.

The

students and art

Cooper-Hewitt

it

is

hoped

that the

stimulate interest in this remark-

Director

tsuba schools are represented; however, the is

will

Lisa Taylor in

the Cooper-Hewitt Collection, spanning the twelfth

emphasis

artist of merit,

considered a major reference work

There are over twelve hundred items

schools

While space limitations prevent

Museum

Introduction

Tsuba

Omote

(Front)

faces the

tiilt

Ura (Back)

Hira (Body)

Kozuka Hitsu-ana

Sekigane

Udenuki-ana

Interest in the

Japanese sword has occupied stu-

dents and collectors of sculptural art and metallurgy for hundreds of years.

The

earliest

Japanese

chronicles, which purport to describe the begin-

nings of Japanese

civilization, tell of a

sword which was plucked from the

magical

tail

of a dra-

gon by the god Susano-0. The sword, with the jewel and the mirror,

is still

considered one of the

three sacred items of the Imperial regalia.

From

this

legendary beginning, the history of the sword

and

its

decoration has been elucidated with

increasing clarity by succeeding generations of

students.

Through the long and convoluted history of Japan, the military

sword has persisted as a

major symbol of power, wealth, and beauty. No

nation

on earth has expended such energy on the

production of swords as has Japan, and none has ever approached the remarkable results of that effort.

For

more than

a thousand years individual

sword-makers presented Japanese warriors with entirely hand-crafted, highly polished blades,

the characteristics of which changed through the years to

accommodate

the changing styles

of warfare.

The bearers samurai (one

who

of these

weapons were the

serves), the hereditary warrior

caste which evolved during the tenth and eleventh

strong decorative elements suited the needs of the

had largely been replaced by curved

centuries; the samurai maintained their consider-

straight,

able influence until the middle of the nineteenth

blades of magnificent steel. Tsuba of iron or unre-

The samurai's

century.

military virtues

—

fined

loyalty,

bravery, endurance, obedience and stoicism vi^ere

codified into a stern ethic that

known as

the

"way

copper bore simple, but often elegant, deco-

ration.

became

of the warrior" (bushido).

Samurai

of the period

their

swordsmanship

to that

whose production

was seldom intended

in

of leather or

and

In

centuries, fighting techniques

heroism and feats of bravery were celebrated, and the concept of death before dishonor in

the warrior psyche.

was an his

The sword

of the

object of veneration, since

honor as a

was

it

instilled

two invasions

of

The massed

represented

of single challenge

the tide of battle

combat. Both

defender's superior armies.

sword and current

was

put on

practical effectiveness,

its fittings

were modified

of warfare.

The

style

and the

to

in

conform

to

battles of the

combat with

long single-edged swords (tachi) carried

in

scabbard slung by cords from the warrior's

By the tenth century, the sword blade,

Mongols

a belt.

originally

in

a scabbard thrust through the sash

rather than

hung from the

were very long, katana, about two and a than the

tactii,

belt.

Though some

like tactii,

were generally

draw

half feet in length. Easier to

they were just as deadly, capable of

enemy armor The made for this sword,

cutting completely through

tsuba, particularly those

were sometimes made

lighter

by perforations that

evolved into decorative elements, and the use of

copper alloys provided an expanded palette

of

colors.

By the time fears of another Mongol sion had subsided the central government

bankrupt, and the nation

by a series of century

civil

was

gradually engulfed

wars from the

until final unification in

duced during

were made

this period of

inva-

was

early fourteenth

1615. Tsuba pro-

heavy military

activity

of either iron or soft metals: their

warfare. The

ornamentation of the

in itself

and the

art deterior-

few individuals and schools

maintained the high standards of previous eras

and produced magnificent works even tieth

in

the twen-

century a general conversion of art to

sanship continued

was banned by

until

arti-

the wearing of swords

Imperial decree

in

1871

,

and the

blades and fittings largely passed into the province of the scholar

in

from the tachi to the katana, which was

carried

Heian period, fought with long curved spears and arrows, were decided

the

Gradually the sword changed again

periods of Japanese sword-

methods

flights of

violent, providential

1274 and 1281

storms rather than by the

prominence.

and

in

was turned against

by

simplicity

infantry of Kublai

Khan's Mongol invaders showed the inadequacy

samurai

soldier. Its fittings, particularly the

smithing, the greatest emphasis

ated. Although a

after

Japan had been launched from

the Asian mainland.

tsuba (sword guard), also achieved symbolic

In early

changed

use

their peaceful use;

tsuba became an end

the late thirteenth and fourteenth

for

decorative styles of eighteenth-century tsuba

matched

with precious metals and lacquer.

.

peace came, however, tsuba mak-

carried out by rapidly proliferating schools

of technically expert artisans

and perfected

end Individual

was

and leather held together by thongs

horses' trappings were often ornately decorated

Samurai devoted

they

ing

that of developing excellence in warfare, particu-

the use of the sword.

When

wore loosely hang-

brightly colored strips of silk. Armor, helmets

larly in

whom

ing suits of armor, constructed of strips of iron

This code stressed contempt for any pursuit but

their lives to serving their lords,

restrained but powerful samurai for

were made.

and

collector.

Japanese Swords and their Fittings

Katana Same

Kashira

Mekugi

Menuki

Kozuka

Fuchi

Seppa

Tsuba

Tachi Menuki

Kabuto-gane

Fuchi

Ishizuki

Seppa

Tsuba

It

was

further decorated with small metal objects. Tsuba,

the samurai's exclusive privilege to carry

paired large and small (daisho) swords. Each of the two major types of long

sword has a

short sword which usually accompanied tachi

was worn

hilt,

particular it.

The

of a

tings for the paired

its

shorter version.

Katana

Fit-

swords matched each other

The sword blade was kept

in

is

hilt

and

is

is

in

both.

The

also fitted with a tsuba and sheathed

scabbard (saya). The

hilt

is

peg (mekugi) that

slipped through matching holes

blade

in

and the scabbard are

for

required. In

inserted into a hollow

fixed there with a

fittings differ

from those

a

of the

sword, since the former was worn thrust

on cords

decorated scabbard. The unpolished blunt tang (nakago) of the blade

tec/?/

through the samurai's sash, while the

a plain or

mountings

sword.

with the dirk-like tanto, and the

katana with the wakizashi,

wood

scabbard and the small metal decorations

constitute the koshirae, the complete

some

used for similar

follows;

latter

hung

which additional attachments were cases, a different terminology fittings.

Katana

fittings are

as

Hilt (tsuka)

Among

the earliest fittings to appear were the

menuki. These are two

in

number and

fastened at either side of the fittings

Scabbard (Saya) and Related Fittings

and Related Fittings

hilt.

The scabbard

are

place

in

in

the

hilt. In

addition to their

above the

rest of the

When

to give

hilt,

the warrior a firmer grip.

The ends

of the

hilt

are capped by two

metal ornaments of different shape, but

of the

a hollow

hilt is

pommel, is

the kashira, and at

hilt is

drical piece of

lowed to

fit

wood

is

in

fish.

onto the open end which tang.

The fuchi

will

the tang.

it

enters the

hilt.

around the closed end. The then frequently wrapped of the braid length

is

hilt

in silk

under the

The center

held next to the fuchi, and

are placed on top of the

silk braid

when

the

in

is fitted

passing through the kashira the braid

off. fi/lenuki

in

hilt is

is

tied

,

wrapped, or

they are sometimes pinned or glued

in

its

hilt;

same and place.

(kojiri)

scabbard was

decorates

and

band some-

is

A

strap or chain

fittings that encircle the

is

scabbard

matching slots

after

the tsuba.

in

same

style as the other

up the

skill.

a small knife

is

decorated. The

complete knife

was probably used as

end of the

A

and

hilt

of variable length

worthy

of

a jewel-like sculpture worked with fittings are all

on these

small

in

tiny surfaces in

is

and some-

hilt is

pierced to reveal the

small hole

tipped

in

the metal cap

is

hilt's

for a

decorative sword-knot. Both types of swords have similar fittings

all

of

by a metal cap (kabuto-gane) that encloses the

surface.

a device

surpasses that reserved for the finest jewelry other cultures.

is

scabbard for six to eight inches. The

is

hair.

is

end

One

The other implement, the

Although these

which

tip

enclosed by a metal cap or by the

times has projecting arms extending along the

the Cooper-Hewitt Collection, are

study Each

ishizuki,

is

passing through

refer either to the

alone.

hilt

skewer-like toga/, to pin

its tip.

passed

scabbard,

attached to the waist cord. These devices

are often decorated in the

small implements were often inserted

slots in the

scale, the artistry lavished

and covering are braid.

its

retaining

bard from the waist.

the scabbard

great

a triangular hole

two ends are wound crisscross around the after

in

is fitted

The kashira

A

the scabbard are located

which are used to hang the scab-

and an end cap

in

receive the blade

The tang passes through

the fuchi, as

of lacquer

The smaller fittings, also well-represented

The halves are then glued together and wrapped same, the skin of a ray

sword was worn,

fittings (ashi)

through two

rack.

On

those for the katana.

metal decorations of the scabbard. The

or to the

cut in half, the interior hol-

Several fittings for tachi swords are similar to

of a

times surrounds the scabbard's mouth (koiguchi)

the tang of a particular blade, and a

hole for the peg drilled to match that

the

term kozuka can

constructed as follows: a cylin-

two halves

and placed on a sword

it,

(kozuka), the handle of which

Thus the fuchi and the kashira surround the two ends of the hilt and stabilize it. The

Tachi Fittings

of

,

Two

the band-like fuchi.

made

When

most often

whose

surface workings are always matched. At one end

the end next to the tsuba

blade.

specifically for

decorative function, they also helped, by their slight projection

also

wood hollowed in this case to fit the the sword was not in use, the blade was housed in a simple wooden scabbard made piece of

Originally these

decorated the retaining pin which held

the blade

is

nor the kogai bard.

on the

is

hilt

carried

in

but neither the kozuka the tachi

sword scab-

Tsuba (Sword Guard)

Tsuba-gata (Shapes)

Inome

Kutsura-gane

Stiitogi with

ShJtogi

The is

largest fitting,

the tsuba. This

1/4 inch thick and eral

used with both types of sword,

The

front side of the tsuba

a plate, usually about 1/16 to

and

is

is

Vk to

5 inches wide. The gen-

construction of the tsuba, with the exception

unchanged

of the earliest styles, remained

thousand years. Although

its

for a

shape may be

its

surface solid or pierced

silhouette

in

the reverse (uraj.

positive or negative

openwork, the basic form remained

ses

to

its

size

and

location,

also had the greatest symbolic importance.

It

pro-

tected the hand, helped to balance the sword, and

the

most

visible decorative object

when

wore two swords

times, and would

at all

not be seen without them, the kinds of tsuba worn often

depended upon the day's

activity.

One

might, for example, prefer an iron guard for battle

and a highly decorated

soft metal

guard for court

use, although these distinctions were not invariable.

The samurai usually owned several tsuba

and matching

them

to suit

fittings for

mood

each blade, and changed

hilt

opening

is

tsuba

may

be

flat

A

pair of

seppa

dal.

with copper plugs (sekigane)

fit

either side of the

passage in

of the

seppa

its

way

and the other

may be

may

dai; the left

kozuka on

the scabbard

Either or both

is

absent.

exist

one

is

on

exist in the

made

last,

small holes

and

may

charac-

its

teristics are helpful in classifying individual

guards.

Since tsuba have been centuries, and

in

use for fourteen

were created by the most

skilled

metalworkers, there exists today a rich heritage of these miniature sculptures. They titude of techniques

alloys

embody

a mul-

and materials, including

unknown

be found

in

the

Museum have not

fittings of

The history

artistic history

Japan.

of tsuba begins with Hoju, the

sword guards, sometimes with

trapezoidal, cut-out decoration, found in the burial

mounds

of the ancient

Dolmen

era (mid-4th to later

replaced

by the shitogi type, named after the shape a

style, first

used

in

if

squeezed

in

rice

the hand. This

the Nara period (710-794) per-

hundred years,

particularly for

ceremonial purposes.

Other tsuba styles evolved during the Heian period (794-1185). An unsuccessful

attempt to improve the shitogi by adding side-

for the kogai.

Two

lower part of the tsuba. The rim

(mimi) of the tsuba was

some

sword

oval copper-gilt

for the

into the pocket

(udenuki-ana) for the passage of tying cords

or occasion.

of the

sisted for several

marks. Oval or shaped openings

to

cake would assume

deep

for the blade, leaving

which are

mid-7th century A.D.) These were

opening of the

and the edges of the opening hammered to produce a perfect

of

provides particular insight into the

here that the signature of

of the central

filled

many

collection. Variations in the other fittings

been nearly as dramatic, so the study of tsuba

separate oval washers (seppa) encircle the tang on

the

sword was worn. Inasmuch as the samurai usually

It

either side of the tsuba, covering the

The tsuba served as the most important

was

dal).

the maker appears, on the front side.

The ends due

central triangular

surrounded by an oval elevation with a

is

constant.

functional fitting and,

A

{omote) faces the

elaborately decorated than

(nakago-ana) through which the sword tang pas-

surface (seppa

round, oval, square, many-sided or irregular, and

more

generally

Mokko

Inome

Aoi with

Kutsura-gane

to the rest of the world.

rings (No. 1) disk.

was followed by

The most

common

a return to the

early flat

flat

shapes were the

four-petalled ao/, as well as simple circles

and

ovals.

Hardened leather tsuba Cnen/(aiva^ were

During the Kamakura era (1185-1333),

some

refinements

in

these simple

made, and decorations consisting increasingly

inches

in

diameter, and decorated with simple,

openwork, negative silhouette designs

also used for a time.

complex

flat

tsuba were

largely of

hammerings, and

piercings,

insects,

of flowers,

and everyday objects. Armorer's tsuba

begun

to create iron tsuba. Until the mid-fifteenth

century iron tsuba had been primarily adorned with piercing and openwork; but the artists of

produced tsuba with low

usually have thin centers and raised rims, while

Kamakura

the swordsmith's guards have thicker centers tap-

ing with

ering to thin rims.

century a group of tsuba makers

The

castings of unrefined copper appeared.

art of soft metal tsuba

was

greatly

city

to inlay brass nails

and wires

initially

shakudo, composed primarily

gant brass inlay decoration.

tsuba were being made. Copper bronze and vari-

that produced,

ous alloys were being

of the

Muromachi period

utilized extensively.

Two

major styles of iron tsuba were being fashioned: katchushi, thought to have been ers;

made by armor-

and tosho, believed to have been the product

of swordsmiths. Both are usually round, 3y2 to 5

when

of

copper and gold

Many

suitably pickled, a deep,

blue-black color; and shibuichi. primarily copper

and

silver,

which yields a spectrum

of

hues from

silver-grey to grey-brown. Early soft metal tsuba

were primarily

o^

shakudo, or

of unrefined

copper

(yamagane). Their surfaces were sometimes

smooth but might be roughened often small

or

left

hammered;

punched knobs added a texture

that

carv-

Kyoto began

in

into iron tsuba, their

primitive designs later evolving into ele-

fostered by the development of two alloys:

(1334-1573) decorated iron and soft metal (kinko)

By the beginning

relief

minimal openwork. Toward the end of the

artists

had been

work with

at

soft

metals during Muromachi, particularly using the

shakudo

alloy

and unrefined copper As soft metal

techniques advanced, these surfaces were with exquisite sculptures of

inlaid

men, gods, animals,

and objects. Chasing, engraving and simple piercing

added to the decorative ensemble. Marvelous

soft metal fittings appeared, especially

in

Kyoto

evolved into wide expanses of tiny elevated dots

and Mino province. At the end of the Muromachi

resembling fish me(nanako).

period practically every

Throughout the Muromachi period

method

during the succeeding

duce characteristic tsuba (Nos. 2,3), but as

and Edo (1616-1867) periods.

Kyoto, and

in

in

the cities of

working metal

Momoyama

armorers and swordsmiths continued to pro-

as 1400 artists

of

had been mastered; these techniques were refined

early

Kamakura and

Owari and other provinces, had also

Edo period

(1573-1615)

was during

It

the

that tsuba entered an exclusively

decorative phase and a vast outpouring of sword fittings

began to flood the country With the end of the Edo era, the Emperor

Meiji

undertook a vast program

and banned the wearing great tsuba artists

in

private

continued to carry on their

of modernization

sword. While a few

of the

or

life

craft,

ing into the twentieth century.

in

court service

Japan was hurry-

Kimono were

replaced by Western clothes, and outside forces

changes on the hitherto

began to work

their

homogeneous

nation

turned to territory

on

.

The energy

mass production and

and markets;

less

emphasis was placed

individual expression in daily

like arts.

of the people

the expansion of

life

and the war-

Although vestiges of craftsmanship

remain, and a degree of rebirth of

tliis

and other

ancient art forms appears to be at hand

,

the

continuous evolution of the art of small metal sculpture represented by sword fittings

came to

an end.

Makers of Sword Furnishings: IMajor Schools and Artists

Iron

Tsuba Kyo-sukashi In

Kyoto, beginning around 1400, these elegant,

tsuba were made in a variety of some combining positive and negative

thin, black

designs,

silhouettes.

The

sometimes

earliest are

Heianjo-sukashi. after the original

Kyoto—We/a/7 /(yo— "Capital quility."

Tsuba of

this type

of

name

called

of

Peace and Tran-

were produced

modern times. Represented

in

into

the Cooper-Hewitt

collection are classic designs of cranes, Buddhist

prayer wheels, water under a bridge, plum blos-

soms, and gourds, carved openwork. (Nos. 4,5). The

in

positive silhouette

relatively long

row oval seppa dai surrounding the ing

adds

to their graceful

and

nar-

central open-

appearance.

Shoami Momoyama,

During Muromachi and

this

school

Initially

somewhat smaller

in size

than previously

produced openworl< tsuba whose symmetry and

mentioned types, these strongly defined open-

sense of movement were greatly appreciated. The

work tsuba were made

school attracted a vast army of students

who

spread throughout Japan, producing tsuba

wide variety of

styles.

perhaps ten percent of the Shoami.

It

in

has been said that

all

tsuba were

made by

of excellent iron.

greatest artist of this school, Myoju,

a

ing the

Momoyama

period, producing exquisite

inlays of soft metals into

brass.

The

worked dur-

copper or nut-brown

Owari Tsuba were produced

Muromachi period

in

Owari province from the

early eighteenth centuries (No. 6).

always

and

into thie late seventeenth

As was almost

true, the earlier creations are the purest

and best examples

of the school.

generally extremely powerful tion, often

in

Owari tsuba are

design and execu-

symmetrical both top to bottom and

side to side, have squared rims thicker than the

body and

a

deep black patina.

A

mixture of

ent kinds of iron produced heavy, irregular

differ-

bumps

(tekkotsu) on the rim's edge. Tsuba of other

schools ter,

and

may

also have tekkotsu of varying charac-

a feature which classifying

may be

helpful in identifying

them. Owari tsuba are much

prized today, their quiet strength

embody the

spirit of

seeming to

the samurai warrior.

Kamakura

Kanayama

Rather large tsuba (often 3y2 inches

in

with naturalistic and geometric designs

low

relief,

town

of

in

very

chased and engraved, were made

in

Momoyama

periods.

The surfaces 7),

the

of these thin

but

later,

motifs

negative silhouette were added. Their patina

more brown than province tsuba.

that of the Kyoto

and Owari

This school, working similar,

Kamakura during the Muromachi and

tsuba were usually solid (No. in

diameter)

is

iron of

in Owari province, produced though less massive tsuba. The "purple

Kanayama"

is

justly

famous.

Inlaid Iron

Tsuba

Onin

Heianjo

The so-called Onin after the

iron

end

of the

name does

style

style

developed during and

Onin era (1467-1468), so the

not entirely relate to the era. The

used was of good quality and the brass

due to

its

inlay,

composition, has a characteristic deep

yellow-brown color Onin designs are easily recognized: holes

in

initially

hammered

the iron to form nail-head designs:

brass wire create

brass nails were

was

complex

inlaid into

precut channels to

naturalistic designs.

ple of this technique (No. 8)

Cooper-Hewitt collection.

into

later,

is

found

A

fine

in

the

exam-

Perhaps a generation passed between the creation of the

Onin styles and the appearance

first

in

the

Kyoto region of the more elaborate, brass-inlaid

guards known as Heianjo tsuba (Nos.

9, 10).

These were made throughout most of the

six-

teenth and into the seventeenth century. In contrast to the

engraving

Onin technique of inlay

in

Heianjo engraving inlay

was

set

in

which

the brass preceded the inlaying,

in

was

place.

generally

done

after the

These technical differences

and the more generous use

of brass in the latter

designs help to distinguish between the two.

Yoshiro In

the mid-sixteenth century, the art of brass inlay

into iron

reached

its

zenith

Yoshiro Naomasa. He

in

the

work

was among

the

ot Koike first

of the

tsuba makers to sign his productions, and with

good reason;

his

workmanship and

artistry in this

technique have never been surpassed. His tsuba are relatively large, with designs of vines, flowers

and family crests. Unlike Onin and Heianjo

style

tsuba, Yoshiro inlay does not stand above the

surface of the iron but

is flat;

the intricacy of inlay

and smooth surface resemble painting more than inlay.

Large schools of excellent artists worked

the Yoshiro style

(No. 11).

in

the

Momoyama and Edo

in

eras

Primarily Iron Tsuba of

Late

Momoyama and Edo

As

Muromachi period drew

Nobuiye

Kaneiye the

artistic

pendulum began

to

to a close, the

swing toward a less

severe expression of beauty The stern, simple

men

Kaneiye, one of the the rial,

most famous tsuba

Momoyama era, made the first iron tsuba.

artists of

signed, picto-

These are superb, red-brown,

whose pastoral scenes are medium relief and sparsely inlaid

There appear to have been two major generations of

Nobuiye

artists, several

vincial schools,

solid iron guards,

copyists. Tsuba of the

smiths and armorers, were gradually superseded

chased

were

by designs whose specific purpose was to touch

with gold and silver Oddly enough, though tsuba

designs of the

the eye as

much

appeared, one of

—

of Owari,

and of the sword-

as the heart. True artists

whom

has been mentioned.

—

Koike Yoshiro

Naomasa

low

in

to

of the early years of this school are considered the

epitome

when

of the art

first

today and were much

made, they were out

in

vogue

of favor within a

short time of their production. The desire for soft in

eclipsed the

work

and

of Kaneiye,

almost 1800 that these tsuba were

it

was

fully

was such

ted again At that time there .

not

apprecia-

a

resurgence of desire for the older, simpler ways

among

the warriors that had there been ten

thousand of these tsuba scarcely have been

in

enough

existence there would to

fill

the

demand. Of

course, by then there were only a few available, so the artisans of the day

came

to the rescue

and

turned out "Kaneiye" tsuba as fast as they could sign them.

f\lobuiye

masters

grey-black to brown-black iron exhibited a lumi-

nous surface. The teristically

artists

produced charac-

deep engravings

tortoise-shell patterns

of flowers

and other

and vines,

naturalistic

designs.

A few until

two major

thick, with delicate tekkotsu in the rims; their

the early seventeenth century

metal tsuba

contemporaneous pro-

and many nineteenth- century

other major artists, including

Yamakichi and Hoan also signed tsuba during period.

this

Signed Iron Tsuba of Muromachi

and Momoyama

The

excellent metalworking techniques achieved

by the end of Muromachi were further refined with the passage of time.

Nobuiye were hard

The schools

at

of Kaneiye

work. The Shoami

and

artists

were spreading throughout the country eventually producing tsuba of every imaginable variety

in

over eighteen provinces, and great schools of

armorers, particularly the Myochin and Saotome (No. 12), were

in full

production.

It

was

not long

before other large schools of tsuba makers

developed.

Higo From the end

of

Momoyama

into early Edo. the

some

feudal lord of Higo province patronized

the greatest of

Higo per,

is

known

all

for

tsuba

of

Hikozo of

artists. Hirata

guards of deep red-brown cop-

engraved with designs of wave ripples, broad

open hitsu-ana. and a

variety of incised

"trademark"

styles. His

{Odowara fukurin) with of dots

and

is its

a special

and

inlaid

added rim

own simple

decoration

lines.

The Nishigaki school was founded by Hikozo 's student Kanshiro. rily

lustrous

openwork

who produced

paulonia designs (No. 13). Sparse [kebori)

is

prima-

iron tsuba, often of line

engraving

also found, as are rare examples

in

brass (No. 14).

Shimizu Jingo and

his

school produced

thick, strong, black iron tsuba inlaid with large

patterns

in

brass.

He

is

most famous

for his fierce

eagles.

Hayashi MatashichI and his school pro-

duced both openwork and

inlaid

tsuba. often

using a marvelous double-wire scrolling technigue. His

work

in this

medium is approached who produced similar

only by Kamiyoshi Rakuju,

masterpieces

in

Higo

at a later date.

The Akasaka school

Hikonebori

Although no physical connection exists between

The founder

the Akasaka masters of

masters

in

to that of

to

city

and the Higo

Kyushu, some Akasaka work

is

similar

his best students in the

mid-

seventeenth century and founded the Akasaka school first

in

the district of that

four Akasaka masters

using their

own

name. The work

is

of the

strong, the earliest

designs. The addition of Higo

designs to the original Akasaka styles created a varied style

most appreciated

in

the

mid-Edo

There were eight generations of masters

era.

in this

school.

By the end characteristic

the

work

of later

differentiated

(No. 15).

of the eighteenth century the

Akasaka

style

Akasaka

town

of

Kitagawa Soten, was a

Hikone

Omi province

in

had disappeared, and

artists

can scarcely be

from other contemporary schools

in

the late seventeenth century Soten adapted the style of carving iron figures in the

dealer and tsuba maker, Hikobei,

Edo with

of the school,

resident of the

Higo province.

A Kyoto moved

Edo

bori).

producing highly

pictorial

round (maru-

tsuba decorated

with excellent inlay His subjects were taken from old paintings, frequently of battles,

with great attention to detail received that large in

numbers

the nineteenth century,

(No. 16).

all

.

His

and are treated

work was so

of copies

well

were made

signed with his

name

17

Jakushi

Kinai

Jakushi (died 1707)

was

a painter turned tsuba

At the end of

Momoyama,

maker, and a resident of Nagasaki. His classic

schools were active

works are Chinese landscapes with mountain

byTakahashi

villages

low

and seashores, carved

relief

with gold cresting the

ing other areas.

characteristic

The

inlay

was

nunomezogan

of fine iron in hills

and

highlight-

applied using a ("cloth inlay") tech-

nique (No. 17). His school continued into the nineteenth century

very

in

the Kinal and other

Echizen province. Founded

Kinai, this

school produced

black, glowing iron tsuba carved in relief tive silhouette

openwork.

Common

jet-

and posi-

designs

include dragons, hollyhocks, and other flowers

example

and grass,

typified

Museum's

collection (No. 18).

by a

fine

in

the

Choshu At least eight families were at work from the

cover the entire surface of the tsuba (Nos. 19,

seventeenth century onward

20a, b) using motifs of animals, birds, dragons,

(now Nagato the

first.

styles:

prefecture), of

with chasing and

19

Choshu province

which the Nakai was

Choshu designs were worked

openwork carving

without

in

inlay,

in

flat inlay;

in

three

the round; low

relief

and high and low

relief

including elaborate designs that

and Chinese landscapes, among others. High relief inlay

was used

in later

years.

to The

Ito

school originated with

around 1600

in

town

the

moved

dant, IVlasatsune,

where ten generations

Ito

IVIasatsugu

Odowara. A descen-

of

Edo

to

of Ito

city (later

Tokyo)

masters sub-

sequently worked. The "thread piercing" decorative

commonly

technique (Ito-sukashi)

with this school

is

a

with incredibly fine

method

saw

associated

of piercing the tsuba

cuts to form pictorial

designs (No. 21). Other styles include low

landscape carving, and carving eral

schools, including the

metal

fittings,

using the

Ito,

in

relief

the round. Sev-

also produced soft

mokume (wood

grain)

technique (No. 22) and guriborl, a metallic imitation of

carved layered lacquer (No. 23). The

Edo were among

a

number

of schools

similar work; collectively these schools are referred to as the

22

23

Bushu schools.

Ito in

producing

Namban The

arrival of

westerners

in

intertwined iron cords (No. 24).

Japan during the

seventeenth century, and the subsequent conversion of a

number

of

rise to a type of iron

samurai to

Christianity,

tsuba called

Namban

ban tsuba are

gave

(south-

ern barbarian), a term that refers to people and things of foreign origin. Although the style origi-

nated are

in

the seventeenth century

most examples

from the nineteenth. They were probably

made around most later

of the

first

the port city of Nagasaki where

European traders were sequestered;

years the style

There are three

was produced

common

in

types: those with a cross

prominently displayed; those with carvings of foreigners or foreign motifs; and those having a

woven

in

many areas.

texture or design of overlapping

and

somewhat

resembling European sword guards. Early rare, since

many were

Nam-

destroyed

during two centuries of repression of Christianity.

other Edo Period Ironworkers Many tive

other primarily ironwork schools were ac-

during the Edo period

.

For the

most

part they

produced interesting and varied designs, usually in

openwork, with sparse inlay

found the

in

Among

those

the Cooper-Hewitt Collection are those of

Sunagawa (No. 25) and others produced by

artists of

Hizen and Mito provinces (Nos. 26, 27).

Mention might be made of Edo period brass-decorated tsuba

some wearers

of

made for export,

or for

swords whose aesthetic stan-

dards had declined. Bits of brass wire were into early or late iron

guards

mimicked pine needles Brass wire was iron

in

in

water (gomokuzogan).

wound around

tsuba (shingen) to create

terns (No. 28), or

were hammered

inlaid

patterns that

the cores of other intricate

woven

pat-

sometimes curved brass wires

into the

guards

in

centipede-like

designs (mukade)

/

Early Kinko Tsuba

29

Kagamishi

Irogane ko tsuba While the iron tsuba of the Heian, Kamal
The

Muromachi periods were being produced,

ioned from the ancient periods, are included

were also creating

Muromachi,

soft metal tsuba.

strikingly colored

and

By the end

in

Mino province. The

artists is

still

in

of

inlaid soft

metal fittings had appeared, particularly

and

artists

in

Kyoto

classification of these

a state of flux.

earliest soft

group. Artists

metal tsuba, including those fash-

who produced

in this

soft metal fittings,

mainly oiyamagane to be used with the tachi type of

sword, are called tachi kanagushi (tachi

maker). Muromachi soft metal workers primarily the "luxury" alloys

made

fitting

who used

with precious

metals, such as shakudo, are called ko-kinko. the succeeding schools of soft metal workers

evolved from these

unknown craftsmen.

All

Small bronze mirrors, probably

and Korean, and found

in burial

later,

first of

Chinese

Japanese origin have been

mounds. From the Heian period

beautifully decorated mirrors inspired by

T'ang

dynasty (618-907 A.D.) imports had been pro-

duced by kagamishi (mirror makers).

It

was

probably inevitable that the shape of these

flat,

decorative, bronze discs should be associated

with the similar size and shape of the tsuba. In the

Muromachi period tsuba were made (probably the mirror maker's foundries) of the old mirrors (No. 29).

cast bronze and rors,

one side

yamagane.

of

in

in

precisely the style

These were usually of Unlike the old mir-

which was smoothly polished,

kagamishi tsuba were decorated on both sides.

Kinko Tsuba Schools

The application niques

of the ancient soft metal tech-

was advanced by improvements

in

tools

The surface

into

which the

colored pictures could be

artist inlaid

smooth or

textured.

and the use of varied alloys and metals. To the

Several techniques of texturing the surface were

blue-black of shakudo and the silver greys and

in

browns

roughening {ishime); and punching regular

gold,

of shibuichi

silver,

were added the colors

of

copper, lead and bronze, giving the

hammering and gouging {tsushime);

use:

Japanese metalworker an unsurpassed range of

niques included

hues and

inlay"

tints to

be used

in

decorating the tsuba.

ele-

vated dots over the surface (nanako). Inlay tech-

hammered

into a

bling fabric, in

nunomezogan,

due to the

which the

called "cloth

fact that a thin sheet of inlay

and hon zogan a true ,

inlaid material

was

inlay

technique

inserted into pre-

cut channels, the edges of which were then

mered back over the flat,

was

cross-hatched surface resem-

ham-

inlay True inlays could be

or might project above the surface of the

tsuba. Chiselling and chasing techniques include

both sunken and raised vertical

Chisel cuts with

relief.

and one sloped edge

(katakiri)

one

were made

to resemble calligraphic brush strokes, while simpler engraving

was used as

well. Several tech-

niques of surface piercing were used; negative silhouette

openwork could be

limited to a small

area; or the entire tsuba could be pierced to create

both negative and positive silhouette patterns.

W^-,

33

31

Goto The importance

opment

of the

Goto family

of the soft metal arts

Muromachi up

in

the devel-

to the twentieth century

main

line of in

symbols were placed

cannot be

on the deep, black surfaces

of the fittings

in

the

the family and almost three hundred

the eight branches (Nos. 30, 31, 32,

33, 34). The main line of masters wo'ked for the court and, with few exceptions,

made

only

soft metal fittings. Every kinko school after

Muromachi was influenced by the Goto extent and large

numbers

to

of copies exist.

of the copies are inferior to the jewel-like of the

line, called

work

He fashioned

which

were given added texture with minute raised dots [nanako). The nanako technique, used refined

to

form from the

earliest eras,

in less

was brought

peak of excellence by the Goto. No tsuba are

its

known

to have been

made by the first four Goto, made both small fit-

but subsequent generations tings

was to

and sword guards. Goto work for the court

opposed

called "family carving" (iyebori). as

"town carving" {machiboh) produced by other

local artists.

Although the fame of the Goto Shirobei

Goto Shirobei, was

founded by Masaoku (1439-1512), Yujo.

some Most

Goto masters.

The main

Perfectly sculpted decorations,

including lions and heraldic

overestimated. There were sixteen masters

others

shakudo and gold.

of

from the end

later

known as

beautiful small fittings of

rested on the original formula of

shakudo back-

ground, textured with nanako on which was applied

gilt

and

greatest Goto,

decoration, one of the

inlaid

named

duced a great variety iron tsuba; these

Ichijo

(1791-1876), pro-

of fittings, including

pseudonyms because

of the

Goto proscription

against iron. However, Ichijo 's

work was rendered

many work

in in

most

beautiful

soft metal, with naturalistic

scenes

exquisite detail. Ichijo also produced

excellent is

some

were signed with various

and well-trained students whose

of great interest (No. 35).

from

Yanagawa

Yokoya

Hirata Examples

of cloisonne

Cfiina

enamel had been imported

by the seventeenth century; this tech-

nique was used as a decorative element on sw^ord fittings shortly thereafter.

founded by Dojin (also produced the

The Hirata school,

called Donin, died 1646),

finest w/orks of this type until the late

Among

surface and

filled

with enamel. Designs included

is

some

first

mas-

believed to have been

it

Soyo, a Goto pupil

the mid-seventeenth cen-

tury.

in

is

the classic Goto style, with high

in

relief

is

best known, however, for pictorial

Somin popularized

rial

soft metal work, of

found Early

in

high

Edo was the

relief

the school. Also noteworthy

in

which a

was

typical

were

example

Yanagawa fittings

were strongly

enced by the Yokoya, students

of the Goto.

contemporary

enamel was

technique after leaving the Shogun's court and

century production

breaking away from the Goto stringencies. He

ship rather than art, and exeedingly gaudy

was

tings

largely

opaque, but Donin developed

a striking translucent

eighteenth century,

school (No. 36).

enamel which, by the

became

characteristic of the

the classic example of the "town carving"

tradition,

the

was

his

and

his

work done

work reduced the dominance

at court.

Somin made small

and some tsuba, frequently decorated with Chinese figures and gods.

of

is

are similar to those of the

artists

Buddhist symbols, birds and figures. Early

painters.

typi-

their picto-

the Cooper-Hewitt Collection (No. 37).

Goto school since the

engravings which imitated the brush strokes of

of

through the nineteenth century. Fittings with

cal of

on a shakudo nanako surface. The Yokoya

school

Yanagawa Naomasa (1691-1757)

founder of the Yanagawa school, which was active

extensive inlaid decoration

Both he and his famous adopted son Somin

inlays

affixed to small areas of the

the Yokoya. There

question about the actual identity of the

metals w/ere used as the base, and cloisons,

were

students of the Goto, none are

ter of the school, but

worked

,

many

more important than

nineteenth century. Copper alloys, iron and other

usually of gold

the

the case with

were the

influ-

As

most tsuba schools, nineteenth

was dominated by craftsman-

result.

Two

fit-

other schools, the

Haruaki and the Tanaka, followed the Yanagawa,

own some

fittings

producing their

varieties of pictorial soft

lions,

metal

of their early

fittings,

highest quality.

work

of the

Hamano

Omori

Nara

Another of the schools influenced by the Yokoya,

Together with the Goto and the Yokoya, the Nara

The Hamano

school set the standards of Edo period sword

schools influenced by the three Nara masters,

the far

Omori

is

among

the few

in

outshone the founder. The

which fifth

later

masters

Omori master,

done

undercut waves which flowed across the surface

line

of the fittings (No. 38).

He

also perfected the art

Although early Nara work

tings.

Teruhide (1729-1798) originated the technique of

in

Kyoto

may have been

school originated

in

Shozui.

and

the seventeenth century

who made

iron

tsuba

the Sho-

at

gun's court. Toshiteru, and eight subsequent mas-

resemble the spattered-gold decoration seen on

ters

lacquer

work. The main

and many students, produced creditable

fittings:

in

A

pupil of Toshinaga,

large

Hamano

family

works

the history of sword

in

relief,

and fully-carved tsuba with elaborate atten-

solid

tion to detail.

He used

iron at first, but later

added

armamentarium. While

soft metal to his

Toshinaga was producing his masterpieces, a

young man some arrived

was Sugiura

own

thirty-three years his junior

Edo and studied under the master This

in

who soon began

Joi,

personal technique of low

slightly

to develop his

relief

concave tsuba while he was

tutelage of the master

whose

style

carving on still

under the

was so

differ-

ent from his own.

The name artists,

of the last of the three

Yasuchika, probably heads the

the greatest artists of

Yasuchika, born

sword

Shonai

in

in

fittings.

Nara

list

of

When

1670, arrived

in

Edo,

the leading artists were the Goto at court and

Somin gar

It

other

town Both looked upon

the

in

.

iron as vul-

was Yasuchika, perhaps more than any artist,

who

producing major, tsuba. He

broke the established rules by pictorial, inlaid

combined the

brass and iron

soft metal

work

of the

Goto and Yokoya with a wide variety of subjects

many techniques, and was ing in iron as

in

in

as comfortable work-

soft metal. Classic Yasuchika sub-

jects include birds in the rain, representations of

Kano

style paintings, animals,

master died

in

he worked

in iron

and people. The

1744.

40

and

The

into the nineteenth

excellent pictorial

relief

(Nos. 39, 40).

families followed the

style of high relief

three masters are called the /Vara sansaku.

Toshinaga (1667-1737) produced bold, high

of the

battle scenes.

many

both high and low

The Iwama and Hata

Hamano

Toshinaga, Joi, and Yasuchika; these

and

worked

century, and produced

however, was eclipsed by

three of the greatest artists

most prominent

soft metal, depicting a variety of subjects

especially mythological

of inlaying tiny gold dots {haze) into the surface to

line,

of Edo, the

originated with Masayuki (1695-1769), later called

the sixteenth century the main-

in

with Toshiteru,

fit-

work.

The

inlay Schools

Although

— Kaga and Awa

work was produced by every

inlay

metal school, the artists of Kaga province

Awa

shu and

province

use of

their extensive

Awa

artists

in

Hon-

Shikoku are famous for

this decorative technique.

produced two

styles of tsuba. In the

openwork designs taken from nature were

first,

highlighted with extensive

and

soft

in

leaf.

work)

The other

style

made generous use

nunomezogan

flat

inlay of gold wire

(found

in

much Shoami copper

of gold or

(No. 41) on iron or brass.

A

large

area of a tsuba, for example, might be covered by

dragon design. The

a single inlaid

quently used as gifts

among

were

officials.

originating with the artist Jiuchiya

also followed

were

in

practically

in floral

Awa

artists of

also produced tsuba called ken/o that

in

fre-

This style,

Kyoto,

was

Kaga. The surfaces of these tsuba

covered

in flat

gold "cloth inlay"

patterns or other designs (No. 42).

Several schools worked

tsuba were

made

in

Kaga,

here by Goto artists

Some

commis-

sioned by the Daimyo of Kaga, and are typical

Goto high

Kaga

relief inlay

fittings,

zogan)

on textured stiakudo. Most

however, are of the true inlay (hon

variety,

which was

first

used

in

Kaga

for

decorating armor and iron stirrups. Kaga work often used designs of insects and flowers inlaid

with metals of different colors. Their technique results in a

Awa

somewhat sharper

(No. 43).

inlay than that of

44a

43

Iwamoto

Ichinomiya The founder

of this school

1786), an artist

who

was Nagatsune (1722-

rivalled

Somin and the Nara

masters as the greatest "town carver" of the

most notable tsuba, made

eighteenth century. His In his

early days,

were

large senfo/ru (brass alloy)

guards with carved and

inlaid pictures, often of

hunting scenes. These were often

In

high

relief,

and were signed with the name "Setsuzan." Later In his

career he produced smaller Inlaid and

engraved soft metal tsuba.

Konkwan (1743-1801) was Iwamoto

artists

metal work

He

is

well

in

excellent soft

Edo during the eighteenth century

known

figures, of

the finest of the

who produced

for his designs of

which the

examples (Nos. 44a,

Museum b).

marine

life

and

collection has fine

The founder Yanagawa

of

tfiis

scfiool

(1760-1823).

famous

offsfioot of fhe

was Ishiguro Masatsune

He developed

a crisp

relief inlay of

multicolored metals on various grounds (No. 45). Typical Ishiguro subjects are ers.

Natsuo

Mito

Ishiguro

The Ishiguro

game birds and flowmany students

style attracted

and a large school was active

until Meiji

times.

Momoyama

During the Mito

in

artists

period, the

Daimyo

the Hitachi province imported a

from Kyoto. These

artists

Kano Natsuo, probably the most distinguished

of

number

of

were joined by

eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

schools developed ative

in

soft metal

and admirable

there (Nos 46 47) .

,

Mito, but while

,

many

A number of some cre-

work was produced

of the

workers were

works

of

well-known

artists.

Indeed, by the nineteenth century this vocation

had become foremost

common

artist of

in

many areas. The Unno Shomin

the Mito

early in his career to

,

work for the

the early twentieth century.

Meiji

Bom

in

For eight years he

was designer

work was

at

of painting.

of the

coins for the Osaka mint. Later he

sor of metalwork

new

became

Meiji

profes-

the Tokyo school of art. His

quite varied, but

surface carving, and high

is

characterized by a

relief inlay

Many

of his

designs have the "stop motion" effect of having

been captured by a camera; flowers blowing ,

left

court into

wind,

fish leaping

such subjects added to

his

fame. Certainly

ting that this brief discussion of

it

the

is fit-

tsuba and their

makers should end with Natsuo, one

Dr Henry Rosin

in

from water, and many other

greatest masters of the art.

45

many

Kyoto, he derived

Maruyama school

three dimensional effect produced by engraving,

simply copyists responsible for the clever forgeries of the

1828-1898.

designs from the

others from Edo and elsewhere during the

of

the late nineteenth century masters, lived from

of the

Bibliography Bowes,

Sir

James, Notes on Shippo: A Sequel

Ltd.,

"The Sword Ornaments

to

Paul, Trench, Trubner

Japanese Enamels, Kegan

&

Co.,

B,

CaldweN, Randolph

(editor),

The Book of ttie Sword,

Family," 9,

Okabe, Kakuya, Japanese Sword Guards,

Museum

of

FineArts, Boston, 1908.

Dallas, 1972.

Japanese Sword Guards: Sonne

Church,

Sir Arthur,

Tsuba

the Collection of Sir Arthur H. Church,

in

Goto Shirobei

1908.

London, 1895.

Token KenkyuKai,

of the

Minutes of the Japan Society, London, December

Robinson, Basil William, The Arts of the Japanese

Sword, Rutland, Vermont, 1961.

Reading, England, 1914.

Robinson, H. Russell, Japanese

Gunsaulus, Helen C. Japanese Sword Mounts ,

Museum.

Collection of the Field

Field

Museum

In the

New

Arms and Armour,

York, 1969.

of

Natural History, Publication 216; Anthropological Series,

Rucker, Robert H.,The

Sword Fittings

V.16, Chicago, 1923.

in the

Goda

Collection of Japanese

Metropolitan

Museum

of Art,

New

York, 1924.

Hara, Shinkichi, Die Melster der Japanlschen

Schwertzleraten, Verlag des

Museums fUr

Kunst und

Joly, Henri L.,

part

III,

Walter

L.

Behrens Collection Catalogue,

& Co. Ltd., London, New York, 1966.

Glendinning

reprinted Paragon,

1913-1914;

the Collection ofG.H. Naunton, Esq., Tokio Printing Co., Reading, England, 1912 (private printing); reprinted

Los Angeles, 1973.

George B.,A History of Japan. 3

Hawkshaw, London,

the Collection ofJ.C.

Legend In Japanese Art,

J.

vols.

Sasano, Masayuki, Early Japanese Sword Guards:

Sukashi Tsuba. Japan Publications

Inc.,

San Francisco,

Tosogu no kigen: The Origins of Japanese Sword Fittings (in Japanese), Tokyo, 1979; (private printing).

Stern, Harold

B..The Magnificent Three: Lacquer.

Netsuke. and Tsuba,

Japanese Sword-Mounts: A Descriptive Catalogue of 1910.

Lane Co., London and

New York,

1972.

Stone, George C..A Glossary of the Construction,

Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor. Southworth

New

York, 1908; reprinted Rutland, Vermont, and Tokyo,

1967.

Press, Portland, Maine, 1934; reprinted Jack Brussel,

New

York, 1961.

Yumoto, John M..The Samurai Sword: A Handbook.

Shosankenshu, Holland Press, London, 1963. Princeton,

E. Early Japanese Art,

Kidder, Jonathan

Jersey, 1964.

Mosie, Alexander G. Japanese Works of Art, Armour, ,

Weapons. Sword

Fittings, Lacquer, Pictures. Textiles.

Colour-Prints Selected Portfolio

Sir

York, 1949; reprinted Cresset Press, London, 1964.

1972.

Japanese Sword Fittings: A Descriptive Catalogue of

New

Sansom,

New

Gewerbe, Hamburg, 1931.

1,

E.A.

From The Mosie

Seemann,

Collection.

Leipzig, 1914.

Rutland, Vermont, 1959.

Glossary Katchushi

Haze

Aoi Tsuba

style;

shaped

like

four heart-shaped leaves.

Iron tsuba with thin centers

Inlaying of tiny gold dots.

and raised rims, probably

the products of armorers.

Hitsu-ana

Ashi Fittings encircling tachi

scabbard for attaching hanging

Openings

a tsuba for passage of kozuka and kogai-

in

Kebori Engraving.

cords,

Hoju

Bushido Literally,

"way

of the warrior"; the ethical

code

Usually unsigned, extensively decorated inlaid tsuba,

of the

Hon zogan

samurai.

made mainly

"True inlay" technique; one metal

channels

Daisho Literally,

Kenjo tsuba

Ancient, oval, copper-gilt tsuba style.

"large-small"; the

samurai, or paired

two paired swords

fittings for

in

is

hammered

into

the Kyoto,

Awa and Kaga

provinces, and

another.

Kinko

of the

Ishime

the swords.

in

primarily for presentation to officials.

Work

soft metals

in

—

copper, brass, bronze and alloys.

Metalworking technique which produces rough, stone-

Fuchi Flat

like

metal band which encircles the sword

hilt

Kogai

surface.

Skewer-like

at the

Ishizuki

tsuba end.

fitting

worn

in

a housing within the katana

scabbard.

Metal end cap enclosing the

tip of

a tachi scabbard.

Koiguchi

Fukurin Ito-sukashi

Separate rim around the tsuba edge.

Metal ring at scabbard entrance.

"Thread piercing"; metal openwork technique employing

Gomoku zogan Literally, "dirt inlay";

fine

saw

cuts.

Kojiri Ornamented cap around the end

brass wire mimicking floating pine

of the scabbard

lye bori

needles.

"Family carving"; refers to the Goto

who worked

for the

Ko-kinko Early soft-metal work.

Court.

Guri bori Metalworking technique, imitating Guri lacquer; thin sheets of fused metals of different color are cut

V-shaped grooves, exposing colored

layers.

Ji-ita

Koshirae

in

The decorated

strip of the

kozuka or kogai, often made

Complete mountings of a sword.

separately

Kozuka Kabuto-gane Metal

pommel

of a tachi

Small knife worn

sword

in

a housing with the katana scabbard.

Also used to refer to the kozuka

hilt.

Kagamishi tsuba

hilt

alone.

Machi bori "Town carving"; sword

Mirror-maker's tsuba.

fittings

made by

artists not at

Court.

Kamakuri Low

relief

bori

carving style used

in

and around Kamakura

pommel

in

the round

Mekugi

Kashira Metal

Maru bori Carving of figures

city.

of a katana

A

sword.

pin, usually of

openings

Katana Curved, single-edged sword worn edge up

in

bamboo, which passes through

the sword

tang firmly within the in

hilt

and blade tang, holding the

hilt.

a scabbard

thrust through the sash. Usually paired with wakizashi.

Menuki Small decorative ornaments attached to either side of the

sword

hilt.

Mimi Rim

of the tsuba.

Taka zogan

Mitokoromono

Saya

A matched

Scabbard.

Relief inlay.

Sekigane

Tanto

set of

kozuka, kogai and menuki.

Mokume Metalworking technique that imitates

A

wood gram.

piece of metal, usually copper, fitted within the blade

opening of tsuba to tighten the

fit

sword one foot or

less in length.

Tekkotsu

Mon Sentoku

Family crest.

Literally,

Alloy of brass, tin

and

of iron

lead.

Mukade Metalworking design resembling the shape of

Seppa Oval metal washers encircling the tang of the blade on either side of the tsuba.

Tosho

SeppadaJ

product of swordsmiths.

Iron tsuba with thick centers

of a

within the

sword

segment

blade; the

of the blade

Hilt

black

and gold; when

treated, the alloy

is

blue-

Tsushime Hammenng and

in color.

Nanako

gouging to produce surface texture on

tsuba.

Literally, "fish

roe"; surface texture technique consisting

of producing regulariy

spaced

tiny elevated

Shibuichi Alloy of

knobs.

to

copper and

brown

in

silver;

when

treated, the alloy

is

grey

tsuba

Udenuki-ana Two

color

Nerikawa style;

of the sword.

Shakudo Alloy of copper

of foreign origin.

thin rims, probably the

Tsuka

tsuba.

"southern barbarians"; term designating things

and

oval elevation surrounding the central opening on a

Flat,

hilt.

Namban Literally,

easily

forged, usually early ironwork.

Nakago The tang

"iron bones"; the mixture of different qualities

produced small hard elevations, most

discerned on tsuba rims; generally indicates hand

centipedes.

Tsuba

Dirk-like

of the blade.

small openings

cord which

made

of

was then

in

some tsuba for the passage

of a

tied to the wrist.

Shingen

hardened leather

Tsuba

Niku bori

style;

brass wire

is

wound around an

iron

tsuba

Ura

core.

Reverse side of the tsuba; the side which faces the blade.

Shishiai bori

Wakizashj

Relief carving.

Nunome zogan Literally,

Sunken

"cloth inlay"; gold leaf

hatches on the surface of the

is

hammered

relief

Short sword one to two feet

carving.

into cross-

the katana.

Shitogi

fitting.

Tsuba

Omote

style;

assume

Front side of the tsuba; the side which faces the

hilt

of

and

if

flared

made

in

squeezed

the shape a rice-cake would in

the hand,

i.e.

long, thin center

Zogan Sukashi

Same skin,

Openwork used to cover sword

Unrefined copper.

wider ends.

the sword.

Ray

Yamagane

Inlay

carving.

hilt.

Tachi Curved single-edged sword worn edge down scabbard hung from cords.

Tachi kanagushi TachI

fitting

maker

in

a

in

length; usually paired with

Captions 18

la.b

9

ShItogI type

Heianjo style

Kinai school

Tsuba: Floral design

Tsuba; Paulonia branch

Tsuba; Dragon and jewel

Probably 12th century; yamagane, gold inlay 7.

5X5.9 cm.

(1936-4-381)

Tsuba;

Early 18th century; iron

7.7X7.5 cm. (1936-4-233)

10

19 Kawaji

Heianjo style

KatchushI type

16th century; iron sukashi

17th century; iron, brass inlay

8.9X8.8 cm.

8.5X8.2 cm.

(1936-4-18)

Tomotomi

(died 1754); 5th Kawaji master of

Choshu

Tsuba; Morning glory vine

Comet and cherry blossoms

marubori

Late 16th century; iron, brass inlay (hon zogan)

8.7X8.7 cm. (1936-4-30)

(hon zogan)

Tsuba;

A

sahai, or military baton

Early 18th century; iron

(1936-4-33)

7.9X7.6 cm.

marubori: gold zogan

(1936-4-351)

11

20a, b

Tosho type

Bizen Yoshiro style, early Edo

Tsuba; Gourds

Tsuba; Family crests

16th century; Iron sukashi

Late 16th century; iron, brass inlay (hon zogan)

8.

5X8.3 cm.

7.2X7.2 cm.

(1936-4-384)

Okamoto Toyonobu;

7th master of

Okamoto school

of

Choshu Tsuba daisho: Peony and phoenix

(1936-4-35)

Mid-19th century; iron marubori

12 Kyo-sukashi style Tsuba;

7.6 X 7.3

cm;

7.3

X 7.0 cm. (1936-4-355,356)

Saotome school Tsuba;

Chrysanthemum crane

21

Chrysanthemum

school of Bushu

17th century; iron sukashi

17th century; iron sukashi

Nobuyuki,

8.5X8.3 cm.

10.2X10.2 cm. (1936-4-293)

Tsuba; Peony

leaf

19th century;

shakudo

(1936-4-314)

13

Iris

6.9X6.5 cm. (1936-4-253)

22

Tsuba; Paulonia branch

and plum blossom

school

17th century; iron sukashi

17th century; iron sukashi

Ito

8.0X7.9 cm.

8.3X8.0 cm. (1936-4-307)

Fuchi-kashira

(1936-4-157)

19th century;

14

shakudo and copper

mokume

X 2.3 cm.; 3.4 X 2 cm. (1936-4-1036)

3.8 Kanshiro school, Higo province

Owari school Tsuba; Paulonia

and butterfly

School of Nishigaki Kanshiro (probably 2nd master)

Kyo-sukashi style Tsuba;

Ito

leaf

Tsuba; Grass growing over relics

and family crest

17th century; iron sukashi

17th century; sentoku. with inlay,

7.5X7.4 cm. (1936-4-1002)

8.3X7.6 cm. (1936-4-145)

left

on a

battlefield

shakudo tukurin

23 Ito

school

Soroimono

(tsuba, kozuka and fuchi-kashira)

19th century; shibuichi and copper

15 a;

Probably Akasaka school of Edo

Kamakura school

Tsuba;

Tsuba; Pagoda, bridge, and mountains 17th century; iron

usu nikubori (low

relief

carving)

Moon,

cricket,

and

torii

7.4X7.2 cm. (1936-4-330)

8

16

b;

11.4X1.9 cm.;

24 Namban style A collection of precious things 19th century; iron nunome zogan

Tsuba;

Signed "Soheishi NyudoSoten,"

Onin school Tsuba;

Chrysanthemums and

a wheel

in

the style of Hikone

province, school of Soten

17th century; iron, brass inlay (hon zogan)

Tsuba; Samurai on the march

7.5X6. 9 cm. (1936-4-62)

19th century; iron marubori, gilding

8.4X8.1 cm. (1936-4-186)

569«

17 Jakushi school of (Nagasaki Tsuba; Amaterasu, the sun goddess 18th century; iron, gold,

shakudo m\a\/(nunonne zogan)

8.5X7.9 cm. (1936-4-377)

c;

(shrine gate)

19th century; iron sukashi

9.4X9.4 cm. (1936-4-53)

7.8X7.2 cm.;

d:3.6X1.8cm. (1936-4-1001abcd)

7.5X7.4 cm. (1936-4-258)

3.0X2.1 cm,;

25

33

Sunagawa MasayoshI

Morimura Atsutaka

Tsuba: Dragon, clouds, and waves

Kozuka: The goddess

Early 19th century; iron shishiaibori

About 1850; copper and shakudo,

7.6X7.2 cm. (1936-4-168)

40 Koryuken Masanaga

Kwannon mounted on

a dragon

gilding; reverse of

shibuichi and gold zogan

Kozuka: The Chinese Kwan-Yu and attendant

About 1800; shakudo. gold,

silver,

and copper ^ogan

9.7X1.5 cm. (1936-4-709)

9.7 XI. 5 cm. (1936-4-390)

26

41

Sctiool of MItsustiiro

in

Yagame

34

(Hizen province)

Awa

province

Tsuba: "Ttiousand monkeys"

Yeiju

Early 19th century; iron nikubori

Tsuba: Dragon

19th century; iron, gold

7.2X6.7 cm. (1936-4-247)

19th century; iron, gold lukurin

9.8X1.5 cm. (1936-4-1137)

Kozuka: Plum and vine pattern

Hamidashi

nunome zogan

5.4X3.7 cm. (1936-4-454)

27

42

Tenkodo Hidekuni (1825-1891), worked Tsuba: Drying fish nets

in

in

Kyoto

the evening

Mid-19th century; iron, gold, and

silver inlay

2.0X7.8 cm. (1936-4-847)

35

Bairiuken Kiyonaga, worked

lsobelsshu(lchijo school)

Tsuba: Pair of folding screens (Kenjo style)

Tsuba: Golden snow; on reverse,

moon and

Late 19th century; shakudo, gold

zogan

7.0X6.5 cm.

28

flowers

19th century; iron, gold

in

Kyoto

nunomezogan

7.7X7.1 cm. (1936-4-1142)

(1936-4-413)

43 36

"Shingen" type

Kaga province

Hirata school

Kozuka: Weeping willow

18th century; iron, brass winding

Kozuka: Children's toys

19th century; shakudo, gold, and silver

11.3X11.2 cm. (1936-4-360)

19th century; copper,

Tsuba:

A

basket

shakudo zogan gold ,

wire,

cloisonne enamel

29

44a,b

9.8X1.6 cm. (1936-4-1124)

Signed "Iwamoto Konkwan" (1755-1801)

Kagamishi style Tsuba:

An imaginary

a fisherman 15th century;

river animal;

37

on the reverse,

Tsuba daisho: Daikoku and a

yamagane

Menuki:

Two samurai

warriors on horseback

18th century; shakudo, gilding a:

30

3.2 X 2.0 cm.;

rat,

and the god Ebisu

and a sea bream

Yanagawa school

a small boat

in

8.0X8.0 cm. (1936-4-130)

b:

3.2

18th century; shakudo, a:

7.7

X 7.2 cm;

b:

nanako surface, takazogan

7.0 X 6.5 cm. (1936-4-642,643)

X 2.0 cm. (1936-4-426ab)

45

Goto school

Mitokoromono

(kogai, kozuka,

and menuki): Mizuhiki

(cords used for tying up gifts)

X 1.2 cm.

;

b:

38

Ishiguro school

Signed "Omori Teruhide" (1730-1798)

Kozuka: Scarecrow dolls

Fuchi-kashira:

19th century; gold, shibuichi, shakudo, a: 21.1

zogan

9.6 XI. 5 cm. (1936-4-974)

9.5X1.4 cm. ;c:

nanako surface

3. 5X1.4

cm.;

d:3.5X1.4cm.(1936-4-910abcd)

3.8

X 2.3 cm.;

b:

3.5

X

2.1

Goto school

Menuki: Kwan-Yu and Chohi battle

under the eye of

a:

shakudo

insert

"Hamano

Noriyuki" (died 1787)

Signed "Katsukuni" Fuchi-kashira:

18th century; shakudo, gilding

their

commander 19th century; gold frame around

9.8X1. 5cm. (1936-4-671)

46

Signed

in

(ji-ita)

3.4

nanako

surface

cm. (1936-4-627ab)

39

31

Kozuka: Warriors

Late 18th century; shakudo, gold zogan,

"Omori wave"

Late 18th century; shibuichi a:

X 2.5 cm.;

b:

3.3

X 2.7 cm. (1936-4-560ab)

The gods Benten

(fuchi)

and Bishamon

(kashira)

Late 18th century; shakudo, takazogan, gold a:

3.9

X 2.4 cm.;

b:

3.4

X

1.7

cm. (1936-4-962ab)

9.7X1.5 cm. (1936-4-469)

47 32

Mito school

Mitsumasa, Goto school

Tsuba: Shoki, the demon-queller, and the

Menuki: Leopard and tiger

19th century; iron

19th century; gold

6.9X6.5 cm. (1936-4-774)

a:

3.6X1.6 cm.;

b:

3.6X1.4 cm. (1936-4-421ab)

nanako surface

demon

Oni

Cooper-Hewitt Museum

2 East 91st street

New York, NY 10028

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