説明
Title: Eda Tsubaki Zu
Description
This Kougai is attributed to Waki Goto (脇後藤). Waki-Goto refers to craftsmen who were not part of the main Goto family, but were from its branch families, students, or other metalworkers who learned and followed the Goto style. The Goto family was a famous and respected group of metal artists that started in the mid-Muromachi period. The first master, Goto Yujo, began working in Kyoto around the 1460s. The family served the shogunate for generations, making sword fittings, and their tradition continued for about 400 years through around 17 generations until the late Edo period.
According to the certificate, the theme of this Kougai is Tsubaki (椿, camellia). In a theory, the way flowers fell off was unfavorably received among Samurai families because it was seen just like a head had fallen off. However, on the other hand, Tsubaki has been appreciated as a plant that produces various byproducts. Tsubaki has been used for multiple things, such as oil, cosmetics, and medicine; we would say that this flower has been very familiar to Japanese people’s lives since ancient times. Also, some people believed that the Tsubaki would protect people from epidemics or evil spirits. As mentioned above, the Japanese name of camellia is written as 椿. And this letter is composed of 木 (tree) and 春 (spring). So, this flower was considered a plant that waits for the arrival of spring. We could imagine how people named this flower in an attempt to give it a good meaning.
The piece is made of shakudo, a dark metal alloy, and has a nanako pattern (魚々子地) on the surface. This pattern is created by placing tiny, round bumps evenly, like fish eggs. In addition, it features inlay work made with shikō (志鋼, a type of metal used for decoration).
*As this item is an antique, please check each photo and ensure its condition.
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
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 Kozuka on March 11th in the third year of Heisei (1991). They appraised it as Hozon Tousougu, the Kozuka 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.
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