This is a wonderful tsuba by Shodai Hoan, from the collection of Mr. Nick Nakamura. It features a refined style with a wheel design openwork and a dignified signature. The tsuba is accompanied by a custom fitted kiri bako and a NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.
NihontoWatch
Hoan
Tensho-Keicho (c. 1573-1614)
Owari
Signed
Tokuho (NBTHK)
Iron-tsuba · Owari
Hoan was an arms-smith (bugu-kaji) of Kiyosu in Owari Province, whose personal name was Kawaguchi Saburomon. He served as a retained craftsman to the Asano family, residing first at Fuchu in Kai Province and later in Wakayama in Kii Province, and died on the twentieth day of the fifth month of Keicho 18 (1613); his posthumous Buddhist name was Honpoin Soan Nisshin Koji. The family burial ground remains at Kokuzen-ji Temple in Hiroshima, where his son-in-law Hisatsugu and others relocated during the Genna era in connection with the Asano clan's transfer of fief. Hoan is grouped with Yamakichi and Nobuie as the foremost Owari tsuba makers: the three share certain common stylistic features, though in comparison with Nobuie, Hoan's work tends to be somewhat more technical in execution, and compared with Yamakichi, it appears a step more polished and sophisticated.
Hoan's plate iron is famed for its toughness, to the extent that it was known by the sobriquet uwabami-gane ("great-serpent iron"). The iron of his tsuba is consistently described as exceptionally fine, possessing a dense, nettori ("viscous") quality, with kitae-hada emerging in places with a lively appearance. His specialty technique of yakite-kusarashi produces abstruse and subtle variations over the flat ground, deepening the work's elegant flavor. Amida-yasuri filing is employed with striking effect, and in his celebrated kuruma-sukashi (wheel openwork) compositions, the iron bones (tekkotsu) are revealed prominently[[c:1]], imparting a bold and vigorous character. The balance between pierced openwork and surface treatment is especially intriguing, with both composition and carving described as outstanding.
The NBTHK has praised Hoan's tsuba for their distinctive gloss and moist luster, their notable sense of weight, and the richly varied rims that become visual landscapes in their own right. Within a single tsuba, the examiners observe, "a world uniquely characteristic of Hoan is vividly realized." His ability to exploit a seemingly straightforward carving method to produce works of solemn dignity and refined charm -- uniting the beauty and strength of well-forged iron with kusarashi-te surface effects -- secures Hoan's place among the most esteemed tsuba makers of the Momoyama period, an artisan whose iron plate work remains unsurpassed in the Owari tradition.
Where Hoan 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.
Select a lens to see how it's measured.
Iron-tsuba · Owari
4 pieces on the market now
The Hoan school takes its name from its founder Hoan (法安), whose personal name was Kawaguchi Saburuemon, an arms-smith (bugu-kaji) active in Kiyosu, Owari Province, from the late Muromachi into the Momoyama period. Originally an armorer by trade, Hoan entered the service of the Asano family as a retained craftsman, residing successively at Kofu in Kai Province and at Wakayama in Kii Province before his death on the twentieth day of the fifth month of Keicho 18 (1613). His posthumous Buddhist name was Honpoin Soan Nisshin Koji. " Within this triad, Hoan is distinguished as "somewhat more technical in execution" than Nobuie and "a step more polished and sophisticated" than Yamakichi[[c:2]]. Following Hoan's death, his son-in-law Hisatsugu relocated to Hiroshima in Aki Province during the Genna era in connection with the Asano family's transfer of fief, establishing the Hiroshima branch of the lineage; the family cemetery remains at Kokuzen-ji Temple in that city. Hoan's plate iron was celebrated for its extraordinary toughness, "to the extent that it was also known by the epithet uwabami-tetsu" ("great-serpent iron").
Across the designated corpus, this iron is described as possessing a distinctive "viscous" (nettori) and tenacious character, with the forged texture (kitae-hada) emerging "here and there with lively animation" and tekkotsu (iron bones) appearing prominently at the surface. " This technique was deployed both for surface treatment across the ji and for the depiction of figural subjects, as in the long-eared rabbit rendered at the rim of one designated tsuba. Hoan's repertoire further embraced kuruma-sukashi (wheel openwork), amida-yasuri file-mark patterning employed as a deliberate design element, tsuchime-ji (hammered ground), and sukidashi-bori (raised carving). " The Hoan school occupies a position of high regard within the Owari iron-tsuba tradition. The NBTHK observes that "because there exist fine examples of kuruma-sukashi, the name Hoan is held in high regard[[c:4]]," and the designated works consistently display what the examiners characterize as a unique artistic world realized within a single tsuba. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Hoan法安 | — | 5 |
| Hoan法安 | — | 0 |
| Kanenobu兼信 | — | 0 |
| Hisatsugu久次 | — | 0 |
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 site3 day inspection period on all sales. Items can be returned for any reason for a full refund, less return shipping cost. Returned items must be in the same condition as when purchased.
This is a wonderful tsuba by Shodai Hoan, from the collection of Mr. Nick Nakamura. It features a refined style with a wheel design openwork and a dignified signature. The tsuba is accompanied by a custom fitted kiri bako and a NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.
NihontoWatchHoan
Tensho-Keicho (c. 1573-1614)
Owari
Signed
Tokuho (NBTHK)
Iron-tsuba · Owari
Hoan was an arms-smith (bugu-kaji) of Kiyosu in Owari Province, whose personal name was Kawaguchi Saburomon. He served as a retained craftsman to the Asano family, residing first at Fuchu in Kai Province and later in Wakayama in Kii Province, and died on the twentieth day of the fifth month of Keicho 18 (1613); his posthumous Buddhist name was Honpoin Soan Nisshin Koji. The family burial ground remains at Kokuzen-ji Temple in Hiroshima, where his son-in-law Hisatsugu and others relocated during the Genna era in connection with the Asano clan's transfer of fief. Hoan is grouped with Yamakichi and Nobuie as the foremost Owari tsuba makers: the three share certain common stylistic features, though in comparison with Nobuie, Hoan's work tends to be somewhat more technical in execution, and compared with Yamakichi, it appears a step more polished and sophisticated.
Hoan's plate iron is famed for its toughness, to the extent that it was known by the sobriquet uwabami-gane ("great-serpent iron"). The iron of his tsuba is consistently described as exceptionally fine, possessing a dense, nettori ("viscous") quality, with kitae-hada emerging in places with a lively appearance. His specialty technique of yakite-kusarashi produces abstruse and subtle variations over the flat ground, deepening the work's elegant flavor. Amida-yasuri filing is employed with striking effect, and in his celebrated kuruma-sukashi (wheel openwork) compositions, the iron bones (tekkotsu) are revealed prominently[[c:1]], imparting a bold and vigorous character. The balance between pierced openwork and surface treatment is especially intriguing, with both composition and carving described as outstanding.
The NBTHK has praised Hoan's tsuba for their distinctive gloss and moist luster, their notable sense of weight, and the richly varied rims that become visual landscapes in their own right. Within a single tsuba, the examiners observe, "a world uniquely characteristic of Hoan is vividly realized." His ability to exploit a seemingly straightforward carving method to produce works of solemn dignity and refined charm -- uniting the beauty and strength of well-forged iron with kusarashi-te surface effects -- secures Hoan's place among the most esteemed tsuba makers of the Momoyama period, an artisan whose iron plate work remains unsurpassed in the Owari tradition.
Where Hoan 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.
Select a lens to see how it's measured.
Iron-tsuba · Owari
4 pieces on the market now
The Hoan school takes its name from its founder Hoan (法安), whose personal name was Kawaguchi Saburuemon, an arms-smith (bugu-kaji) active in Kiyosu, Owari Province, from the late Muromachi into the Momoyama period. Originally an armorer by trade, Hoan entered the service of the Asano family as a retained craftsman, residing successively at Kofu in Kai Province and at Wakayama in Kii Province before his death on the twentieth day of the fifth month of Keicho 18 (1613). His posthumous Buddhist name was Honpoin Soan Nisshin Koji. " Within this triad, Hoan is distinguished as "somewhat more technical in execution" than Nobuie and "a step more polished and sophisticated" than Yamakichi[[c:2]]. Following Hoan's death, his son-in-law Hisatsugu relocated to Hiroshima in Aki Province during the Genna era in connection with the Asano family's transfer of fief, establishing the Hiroshima branch of the lineage; the family cemetery remains at Kokuzen-ji Temple in that city. Hoan's plate iron was celebrated for its extraordinary toughness, "to the extent that it was also known by the epithet uwabami-tetsu" ("great-serpent iron").
Across the designated corpus, this iron is described as possessing a distinctive "viscous" (nettori) and tenacious character, with the forged texture (kitae-hada) emerging "here and there with lively animation" and tekkotsu (iron bones) appearing prominently at the surface. " This technique was deployed both for surface treatment across the ji and for the depiction of figural subjects, as in the long-eared rabbit rendered at the rim of one designated tsuba. Hoan's repertoire further embraced kuruma-sukashi (wheel openwork), amida-yasuri file-mark patterning employed as a deliberate design element, tsuchime-ji (hammered ground), and sukidashi-bori (raised carving). " The Hoan school occupies a position of high regard within the Owari iron-tsuba tradition. The NBTHK observes that "because there exist fine examples of kuruma-sukashi, the name Hoan is held in high regard[[c:4]]," and the designated works consistently display what the examiners characterize as a unique artistic world realized within a single tsuba. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Hoan法安 | — | 5 |
| Hoan法安 | — | 0 |
| Kanenobu兼信 | — | 0 |
| Hisatsugu久次 | — | 0 |
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 site3 day inspection period on all sales. Items can be returned for any reason for a full refund, less return shipping cost. Returned items must be in the same condition as when purchased.
