This is a Kacchushi tsuba with Rinpou Sukashi design. Kacchushi tsuba are old tsuba made of iron with a slight watermarking technique. The openwork pattern on the tsuba is interpreted as a side business of Kacchushi.
Certificate reading — 無銘（甲冑師）
NihontoWatchBETAEdo
Katchushi School
Edo
Hozon (NBTHK)
Tosho-Katchushi
68 pieces on the market now
The katchūshi (甲冑師, armorers) are understood to have produced sword guards as a sideline to their primary craft of forging armor components—helmet plates, small scales (kozane), and facial defenses (menpō). Before the emergence of specialist tsuba makers in the late Muromachi period, warriors relied upon swordsmiths and allied craftsmen to furnish practical yet meaningful guards. Learn more →
Certifies a genuine fitting worth preserving: a correct signature, or, if unsigned, an identifiable era and school, with recognized artistic and craft value.
The NBTHK (Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai, the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords) is a public-interest incorporated foundation founded in 1948 and supervised by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs (Bunkachō); it is based at the Japanese Sword Museum in Tokyo. Its expert panels physically examine each submitted work (shinsa) and issue a certificate (kanteishō) ranking it by artistic and historical merit. NBTHK papers are the most widely recognized standard of authentication for Japanese swords and fittings.
NBTHK official siteReturns/exchanges/cancellations not accepted after shipment except for significant defects; if defective, return/exchange possible within 3 days of arrival (return shipping paid by customer).
This is a Kacchushi tsuba with Rinpou Sukashi design. Kacchushi tsuba are old tsuba made of iron with a slight watermarking technique. The openwork pattern on the tsuba is interpreted as a side business of Kacchushi.
Certificate reading — 無銘（甲冑師）
NihontoWatchBETAEdo
Katchushi School
Edo
Hozon (NBTHK)
Tosho-Katchushi
68 pieces on the market now
The katchūshi (甲冑師, armorers) are understood to have produced sword guards as a sideline to their primary craft of forging armor components—helmet plates, small scales (kozane), and facial defenses (menpō). Before the emergence of specialist tsuba makers in the late Muromachi period, warriors relied upon swordsmiths and allied craftsmen to furnish practical yet meaningful guards. Learn more →
Certifies a genuine fitting worth preserving: a correct signature, or, if unsigned, an identifiable era and school, with recognized artistic and craft value.
The NBTHK (Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai, the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords) is a public-interest incorporated foundation founded in 1948 and supervised by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs (Bunkachō); it is based at the Japanese Sword Museum in Tokyo. Its expert panels physically examine each submitted work (shinsa) and issue a certificate (kanteishō) ranking it by artistic and historical merit. NBTHK papers are the most widely recognized standard of authentication for Japanese swords and fittings.
NBTHK official siteReturns/exchanges/cancellations not accepted after shipment except for significant defects; if defective, return/exchange possible within 3 days of arrival (return shipping paid by customer).
