This is a high-quality kozuka featuring a warm gold Mino-game (turtle in a straw raincoat) depicted in high-relief inlay on a finely textured shakudo nanako ground. The lustrous black shakudo surface, combined with soft hair-carving, makes the vividly colored turtle stand out clearly. Made by Masayoshi of the Sano school, a lineage of the Yanagawa family, known for precise and elaborate carvings, especially of mythical creatures.
NihontoWatchmei · Sano · Edo
Ishiguro School
Edo
Musashi
Signed
Tokuho (NBTHK)
Machibori · Edo
23 pieces on the market now
The Ishiguro school was founded by Ishiguro Masatsune, born in Horeki 10 (1760), who trained under Kato Naotsune and Yanagawa Naomasa within the broader Yokoya lineage before establishing an independent atelier that would become one of the most celebrated machibori ("town carving") workshops of the late Edo period. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Masayoshi政美 | — | 29 |
| Masatsune政常 | — | 17 |
| Masaaki政明 | — | 19 |
| Koretsune是常 | — | 4 |
| Koreyoshi是美 | — | 4 |
A Hozon-certified fitting of notably superior craftsmanship and condition, often with signature or workmanship of high reference 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 siteIf, due to our fault, the item differs significantly from its proper condition, the item may be returned. Cooling-off is within one week of the item's arrival.
This is a high-quality kozuka featuring a warm gold Mino-game (turtle in a straw raincoat) depicted in high-relief inlay on a finely textured shakudo nanako ground. The lustrous black shakudo surface, combined with soft hair-carving, makes the vividly colored turtle stand out clearly. Made by Masayoshi of the Sano school, a lineage of the Yanagawa family, known for precise and elaborate carvings, especially of mythical creatures.
NihontoWatchmei · Sano · Edo
Ishiguro School
Edo
Musashi
Signed
Tokuho (NBTHK)
Machibori · Edo
23 pieces on the market now
The Ishiguro school was founded by Ishiguro Masatsune, born in Horeki 10 (1760), who trained under Kato Naotsune and Yanagawa Naomasa within the broader Yokoya lineage before establishing an independent atelier that would become one of the most celebrated machibori ("town carving") workshops of the late Edo period. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Masayoshi政美 | — | 29 |
| Masatsune政常 | — | 17 |
| Masaaki政明 | — | 19 |
| Koretsune是常 | — | 4 |
| Koreyoshi是美 | — | 4 |
A Hozon-certified fitting of notably superior craftsmanship and condition, often with signature or workmanship of high reference 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 siteIf, due to our fault, the item differs significantly from its proper condition, the item may be returned. Cooling-off is within one week of the item's arrival.
