説明

Title: Mokume Zu Description According to the appraisal certificate, this Tsuba was made by Myochin Kino Sōji (明珍紀宗次) and is crafted from iron in a mokko-shaped (木瓜) form. The Myochin school, to which the maker of this Tsuba belonged, is a lineage with a very long history. It is said to have begun its activities in Japan as armor makers during the Heian period (794–1185), and from the Edo period (1603–1868) onward, the school also produced sword fittings, including tsuba. In particular, many iron tsuba by the Myochin school have survived to the present day. As mentioned above, this Tsuba is mokko-shaped, and the origin of this form is explained in two ways. One is that it resembles the shape of eggs in a nest. The other, as suggested by the characters used to write the name, is that it derives from the cross-section of a quince (Mokko) when cut into slices. This form was also widely used in the family crests of many samurai and was regarded as an auspicious design. In addition, the surface is decorated with beautiful linear patterns that can be interpreted as growth rings of a tree, which is another highlight of this piece. What is Tsuba? Tsuba is the hand-guard of the Japanese sword. High-class Samurai wore his Katana sword with its beautiful sword mountings such as Tsuba. Tsuba’s front design tends to be more decorative as this part was often seen by other Samurais when he was walking on the streets. Why is it that the sword mounting was important for Samurai? The sword mountings of the Japanese sword have many kinds of decorations such as handguards (Tsuba), sword hilt (Menuki), pommel (Fuchi Kashira). The Japanese sword worked as a weapon and as an object to show who he was. For example, it shows their personalities and beliefs. You could say that it is like decorations for smartphones today. We recommend you zoom in on the pictures of the sword fittings. When you do so, you can see the skill of Japanese metal engraving techniques. They are mainly made of iron and copper with inlays of gold, silver, and bronze. When it comes to handguard (Tsuba), each one has a different outline and weight. These sword fittings that have lived with Japanese swords of the same age might be worth as much as the Japanese swords. They are inconspicuous parts of the Japanese sword. Nevertheless, if you are knowledgeable or particular about it, you will become a connoisseur of the Samurai. Authentication Paper : NBTHK Tokubetsu Kichou Certificate NBTHK, also known as Nihon Bijutsu Touken Hozon Kyokai (the Society for the Preservation of the Japan Art Sword), is one of the oldest Japanese sword appraising organizations in modern-day Japan. They authenticated the Tsuba on September 25th in the 40th year of Showa (1965). They appraised it as Tokubetsu Kichou Kodougu, an old form of the certificate. The purchaser will receive this original certificate as well. We can also translate what is written into English and make a PDF file for your record if you request. 【About us】 Samurai Museum is located in Tokyo, Japan, exhibiting antique artifacts related to the Samurai history. Samurai Museum Shop is the place for those who are interested in Japanese culture and craftsmanship. We deal with antique Samurai swords/armor, traditional crafts made in Japan and so on. 【Payment method】 We accept payment through Stripe (Credit card), PayPal , Apple Pay or ChromePay, all of which are secure payment methods. Also, you don’t need to make an account on Stripe for the checkout. If you prefer other payment method, please contact us. You may either pay in JPY , USD , AUD , CAD , EUR , CHF or GBP . The price is set in Japanese Yen. Prices in other currencies are automatically calculated based on the latest exchange rate. 【Shipping duration】 We normally ship via EMS (Express Mail Service) provided by Japan Post. It usually takes at least 5-14 days to deliver the package after you place an order. Time of delivery is estimated as accurately as possible by the carrier but