NihontoWatchNihontoWatchHagi-zu Tsuba 堅丸形 鉄磨地 鋤出高彫 布目金象嵌 耳金象嵌 両櫃孔 In paulownia wood box 中井善助友恒(ともつね)は江戸前期から中期にかけて活躍した、長州鐔工界の中心的存在にあった名工です。友恒(ともつね)は先代友幸の子で、安永八年八 十五歳没す、又は同九年七十五歳没す、とあるところから、元禄八年あるいは宝永三年の生まれであることが判ります。長門萩毛利家に抱えられ、毛利重就の治 世下で作品を残した、長州鐔工としては比較的初期の工です。この工の作品は東京国立博物館の展示品になるもの他、重要刀装具指定品もあります。江戸時代中 期以降の長門鐔工は、江戸の伊藤派との技術交流が盛んだった為に、中井善助友恒の作品は伊藤派の影響を色濃く残します。本作は、上質の地鉄に流水岩に萩を 鋤出彫とし、萩の花には布目金象嵌が施されています。また耳には写真のように金象嵌により、紗綾文を一面に配し見事です。手にしてその技術の高さに感服す る作であり、長州鍔工の代表工としての貫禄が十分に示された鍔の優品です。
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Iron-tsuba · Nagato · around 1670
2 pieces on the market now
Where Tomotsune stands among comparable artisans: across all of nihontō, and within tradition, era, and period. The tiers (Foremost · Leading · Major · Notable) weigh official designations from the NBTHK and Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs, together with historical honors of lasting repute such as the Sansaku and Meibutsu-chō.
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Iron-tsuba · Nagato
18 pieces on the market now
The tsuba-making traditions of Choshu domain (Nagato Province) trace their origins to the migration of Heianjo-sukashi openwork craftsmen from Kyoto, invited by the Ouchi family of Suo and Nagato during the Muromachi period. This transplanted lineage gave rise to the Ko-Hagi group, which flourished from the late Muromachi into the early Edo period and established a distinctive regional idiom in iron openwork. Under the subsequent patronage of the Mori clan, Choshu developed into one of Japan's foremost centres of tsuba production, earning the epithet that placed it alongside Aizu as the two great guard-making provinces: notable both for the number of artisans and the volume of work. Multiple lineages emerged — among them the Kawaji, Nakahara, Hatto, Okada, Okamoto, Kaneko, and Nakai — with Nakai Tomotsune (also known as Zensuke) achieving particular renown as a kakae-ko (retainer craftsman) of the Mori household, receiving a stipend from Horeki 8 (1758). The collective vocabulary of the Choshu tradition is grounded in iron: thin, carefully forged plates with rich surface character, including tsuchime-ji (hammered ground).
" The later Nakai school extended this foundation into a broader technical range, deploying sukidashi takabori high relief, kinzogan iroe (gold inlay with polychrome accents), shibuichi, and gold nunome-zogan in compositions of considerable ambition — naturalistic subjects such as frolicking tenaga-zaru monkeys and theatrical Shiki Samban scenes rendered with "taut, controlled modeling" and effective distribution of irogane colour metals. The Choshu tradition occupies a singular position within the tosogu canon as a regional milieu whose finest productions transcend mere provincial category. The NBTHK has recognised that the best works by Nakai Tomotsune surpass "what is ordinarily encompassed by the category of so-called Hagi tsuba,"[[c:1]] distinguished in composition, carving technique, and the character of the iron (tetsumi) alike[[c:2]]. At the same time, the Ko-Hagi group preserves an older and quieter aesthetic — rooted in the Kyoto openwork heritage yet transformed into something "not seen in other makers' work" — that testifies to the depth and continuity of metalworking practice in Nagato Province across several centuries. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Tomonori友矩 | 1770-1800 | 0 |
| Tomohiro友広 | — | 0 |
| Tomotsune友恒 | 1670 | 2 |
| Nobushige信重 | 1781-1867 | 0 |
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 siteNo cooling-off period or returns; refund only if the purchased sword is proven fake, capped at purchase price (excludes commission sales, accessories, auction items).