説明

Title: Lin Nasei Zu Tsuba Description This tsuba is a smoothly polished, round guard made of copper, bearing the signature of Ishiyama Mototada (石山基董) engraved around the nakago-ana (tang hole). Mototada was the second son of Mibu Moto’oki and was born in Kyoto in 1669. He originally used the name Motonobu, but later changed it to Motoka. He is believed to have passed away in 1734 at the age of 66. The central motif of this tsuba is Lin Hejing (林和靖, Japanese: Lin Nasei), a renowned Chinese poet of the Northern Song dynasty. Lin Nasei lived a life of quiet reclusion on Solitary Hill (Gushan) by West Lake (Xī Hú) in present-day Hangzhou. He is celebrated for raising cranes, planting and admiring plum trees, and for remaining unmarried throughout his life—embodying a life of simplicity, integrity, and harmony with nature. His poetry reflects themes of solitude, purity, and natural beauty, and he became a symbol of the ideal literati in Chinese culture. This tsuba portrays Lin Hejing together with plum blossoms and cranes, elements strongly associated with his life and poetry. Although Lin Nasei was a Chinese historical figure, his life and values resonated deeply in Japan, particularly during the Edo period, when he became a favored subject among scholars and samurai. His image appeared frequently in paintings, crafts, and sword fittings, admired as a model of refined spirit and aesthetic sensibility. *As this item is an antique, please check each photo and ensure its condition. 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 Hozon Certificate (No. 4002808) 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 June 27th in the 25th year of Heisei (2013). They appraised it as Hozon Tousougu, the Tsuba worth preserving for Japanese society. 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 i