NihontoWatchNihontoWatchOMORI TSUBA NTHK Kanteisho 3” X 3” Thickness: 3/16” (0.1875”), 4.7625mm This tsuba was purchased in the 80’s in Japan from an elderly gentleman. As many pieces this tsuba came through my partners father who was a prominent Iai teacher in the area. The gentleman disclosed that he had owned this tsuba since before the war and had always planned to pass it down to his son. Sadly, his son was killed in the war and he had no family left. Beautiful, pristine tsuba produced by one of the most famous and collectable schools, Omori. This tsuba contains a huge gold content which is evident by its weight and the quality of the shakudo. It takes a high gold content to produce the Raven blue-black seen in high end pieces such as this. Go back and look at the weight of this tsuba at 6.6oz., it is only 1.4oz from weighing 1/2 lb. That is massive for a tsuba. The tsuba is in pristine condition and shows incredible detail.
NihontoWatchOffered by Yakiba
Its photos show a certificate, and the listing names the NTHK as the issuer; it isn’t in our records yet. Current NBTHK and NTHK shinsa papers are the independent check we rely on, so it’s worth asking the dealer for a clear photo of the certificate. — Hoshi
16 on the market
Machibori · Edo
16 pieces on the market now
The Ōmori school was one of the great machibori (town-carving) lineages of Edo, founded in the first half of the eighteenth century by Ōmori Terumasa (大森英昌, also read Eishō), a direct disciple of Yokoya Sōmin. " A dated tsuba of Meiwa 7 (1770) anchors his mature activity, and the workshop remained rooted in the shogunal capital throughout its history — his pupil Hidetomo proudly signed works "Tōto, by the Sumida River"[[c:1]]. The headship then passed through Hidenaga to Hidemitsu (英満), Teruhide's fifth son, carrying the line deep into the late Edo period. " Its defining invention is the strikingly three-dimensional wave design known as Ōmori-nami (大森浪), the "Ōmori waves," together with sunago-zōgan gold-dust inlay executed in the kinkeshi manner and the flush gold inlay evocative of maki-e lacquer called nashiji-zōgan or chirigami-zōgan — techniques devised, the setsumei state, to heighten the elegant, courtly taste of the work. The judges single out "the weighty takabori carving characteristic of the Ōmori style," deployed across a repertoire spanning peony-and-shishi compositions, birds of prey amid rising sun and surging waves, tigers in bamboo, waves with myriad fish (uozukushi), the vanguard crossing of the Uji River, Fan Kuai at the Banquet at Hongmen, and the treasure ship of the Seven Lucky Gods.
Later generations show measured evolution: Hidemitsu "preserved the carving methods of his forebears while accepting changes in contemporary taste," turning also to iron ishime-ji grounds in sukidashi-bori and collaborating with the painter Kanō Dōhaku Aishin, whose preparatory drawings attest to exchange with the painting ateliers of the day; substitute works (daisaku) by his disciple Ōmori Mitsutoki under the master's signature reveal a flourishing workshop practice. The school's standing is confirmed at the highest levels of patronage: a ceremonial hosodachi mounting transmitted in the Ii family of Hikone, its entire suite of fittings by Teruhide with the clan's tachibana crest in takabori and gold iroe, documents the Ōmori masters as makers of daimyo ceremonial equipment. From the atelier radiated an exceptionally influential teaching lineage: Hidetomo (Ryūrinsai Ōmori Sadabei), recorded in the Kōto Kinkō Meifu as "a foremost disciple of Teruhide"; the Mito-branch Moriyama retainer Otsuzuka Hisanori, whose "dense, richly wrought inlay reached a uniquely individual realm" and drew praise in the Natsuo Chōkin-dan; Horie Kōsei, who entered the Ōmori school after Hamano Masayuki's death and later, as retained craftsman of the Hachisuka family of Awa, "trained many pupils of his own school"; and Izumi Hidetoshi, who studied under both Teruhide and Hidetomo. Through these channels the Ōmori manner — above all its sculptural waves and sumptuous relief — passed into the broader current of late-Edo machibori metalwork, securing the school's place as one of the most powerful branches of the Yokoya tradition in the tosogu canon. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Teruhide英秀 | — | 15 |
| Chizuka Hisanori遅塚久則 | 1725-1795 | 9 |
| Horie Okinari堀江興成 | — | 7 |
| Terumitsu英満 | — | 4 |
| Terumasa英昌 | — | 0 |
The NTHK’s principal certificate, issued for a fitting of considerable quality. It confirms a genuine signature, or, for an unsigned (mumei) work, records the judges’ attribution to a smith or school. The paper carries a detailed worksheet with a numerical point score.
The NTHK (Nihon Tōken Hozon Kai, the Society for the Preservation of the Japanese Sword) is the oldest of Japan’s sword-appraisal bodies, founded in 1910, decades before the NBTHK. After the death of its long-serving head it divided into two successor societies, the NTHK and the NTHK-NPO, both of which continue to hold shinsa. NTHK certificates are known for a detailed worksheet that records a numerical point score alongside the judges’ written opinion, and the society is especially respected for its attribution of unsigned (mumei) work.
All swords sold for $5000 USD or less are considered final! Swords above the $5000 range may be returned for any reason within 48 hrs. Buyer will receive a full refund minus shipping/handling, insurance and or any fees incurred in shipping or sale.
$3,500