Iron sukashi tsuba with gold & silver inlay depicting the four seasons with honey comb, plum, maple, and pine. It is signed on the left of the seppa dai Umetada Shigeyoshi. Some of the gold and silver is lost to time; otherwise condition is great.
NihontoWatch
Umetada Shigeyoshi
Edo
Signed
Shinto · around 1670
5 pieces on the market now
Umetada Shigeyoshi was a metalsmith of the Umetada school active from the Kan'ei through Genroku eras, residing in Nishijin, Yamashiro Province. He signed his works as Umetada Shichizaemon Tachibana Shigeyoshi, with the family name alternatively rendered as Umechū. Inheriting the carving methods of the school founder Myoju, Shigeyoshi carried forward and refined the distinctive pictorial idiom of the Umetada lineage. Multiple craftsmen appear to have worked under the name Shigeyoshi across Kyoto, Edo, and Akashi, and their precise identities and interrelationships remain incompletely resolved, though the core figure is firmly associated with the Nishijin workshop and high-ranking daimyo patronage.
Shigeyoshi commanded a formidable range of metalworking techniques. His tsuba employ shakudo grounds finished in both polished (migaki-ji) and stone-textured (ishime-ji) surfaces, ornamented through suemon-zogan (applied inlay), hira-zogan (flat inlay), sukidashi-bori (undercut relief), and kin-iroe (gold color application). He worked fluently in multiple metals including gold, silver, suaka, and brass, often combining them within a single composition to achieve the chuya (day-and-night) two-tone effect characteristic of his output. His complete daisho koshirae demonstrate mastery of the full suite of fitting types, from fuchi-kashira and menuki to kozuka, kurikata, and kojiri, unified by consistent ground treatment and decorative vocabulary.
Shigeyoshi's surviving works reveal an artist of refined sensibility who synthesized the Umetada tradition of sophisticated inlay with an elegant decorative vision suited to the tastes of powerful warrior houses. His textile-derived designs of linked shippo, karakusa arabesque, and sayagata patterns reflect his Nishijin milieu, the heart of Kyoto's silk-weaving district, while his heraldic compositions bearing the kuyo-mon and other family crests served the Hosokawa and Asano clans. His output represents a high point of the urbane, pictorial manner within the Umetada school and constitutes important material for the study of early-to-mid Edo period daimyo accoutrements.
Where Shigeyoshi 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.
Shinto · Kyoto
51 pieces on the market now
The Umetada school is one of the most distinguished metalworking lineages of the Momoyama period, rooted in Nishijin, Kyoto, and claiming descent from the legendary Sanjo Munechika. The house served the Ashikaga shogunal family over successive generations, establishing deep foundations in the full range of sword-related arts -- swordmaking, blade carving (toshin-bori), the production of steel and fittings, the shortening of blades, the insertion of inlaid signature attributions (zogan-mei), and the making of mountings. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Myoju明寿 | 1590-1631 | 45 |
| Muneyoshi宗吉 | 1596-1615 | 4 |
| Naritsugu就次 | — | 0 |
| Umetada Mitsushige光重 | 1700-1750 | 0 |
| Kaji’emon加治右衛門 | — | 0 |
We could not find an authenticity certificate on the seller’s listing. Japanese swords and fittings are normally papered by the NBTHK (or the NTHK). Without one, the attribution is the seller’s own assessment and has not been independently verified — treat it with caution and ask the dealer about certification before buying.
3-day return window from receipt.
Iron sukashi tsuba with gold & silver inlay depicting the four seasons with honey comb, plum, maple, and pine. It is signed on the left of the seppa dai Umetada Shigeyoshi. Some of the gold and silver is lost to time; otherwise condition is great.
NihontoWatchUmetada Shigeyoshi
Edo
Signed
Shinto · around 1670
5 pieces on the market now
Umetada Shigeyoshi was a metalsmith of the Umetada school active from the Kan'ei through Genroku eras, residing in Nishijin, Yamashiro Province. He signed his works as Umetada Shichizaemon Tachibana Shigeyoshi, with the family name alternatively rendered as Umechū. Inheriting the carving methods of the school founder Myoju, Shigeyoshi carried forward and refined the distinctive pictorial idiom of the Umetada lineage. Multiple craftsmen appear to have worked under the name Shigeyoshi across Kyoto, Edo, and Akashi, and their precise identities and interrelationships remain incompletely resolved, though the core figure is firmly associated with the Nishijin workshop and high-ranking daimyo patronage.
Shigeyoshi commanded a formidable range of metalworking techniques. His tsuba employ shakudo grounds finished in both polished (migaki-ji) and stone-textured (ishime-ji) surfaces, ornamented through suemon-zogan (applied inlay), hira-zogan (flat inlay), sukidashi-bori (undercut relief), and kin-iroe (gold color application). He worked fluently in multiple metals including gold, silver, suaka, and brass, often combining them within a single composition to achieve the chuya (day-and-night) two-tone effect characteristic of his output. His complete daisho koshirae demonstrate mastery of the full suite of fitting types, from fuchi-kashira and menuki to kozuka, kurikata, and kojiri, unified by consistent ground treatment and decorative vocabulary.
Shigeyoshi's surviving works reveal an artist of refined sensibility who synthesized the Umetada tradition of sophisticated inlay with an elegant decorative vision suited to the tastes of powerful warrior houses. His textile-derived designs of linked shippo, karakusa arabesque, and sayagata patterns reflect his Nishijin milieu, the heart of Kyoto's silk-weaving district, while his heraldic compositions bearing the kuyo-mon and other family crests served the Hosokawa and Asano clans. His output represents a high point of the urbane, pictorial manner within the Umetada school and constitutes important material for the study of early-to-mid Edo period daimyo accoutrements.
Where Shigeyoshi 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.
Shinto · Kyoto
51 pieces on the market now
The Umetada school is one of the most distinguished metalworking lineages of the Momoyama period, rooted in Nishijin, Kyoto, and claiming descent from the legendary Sanjo Munechika. The house served the Ashikaga shogunal family over successive generations, establishing deep foundations in the full range of sword-related arts -- swordmaking, blade carving (toshin-bori), the production of steel and fittings, the shortening of blades, the insertion of inlaid signature attributions (zogan-mei), and the making of mountings. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Myoju明寿 | 1590-1631 | 45 |
| Muneyoshi宗吉 | 1596-1615 | 4 |
| Naritsugu就次 | — | 0 |
| Umetada Mitsushige光重 | 1700-1750 | 0 |
| Kaji’emon加治右衛門 | — | 0 |
We could not find an authenticity certificate on the seller’s listing. Japanese swords and fittings are normally papered by the NBTHK (or the NTHK). Without one, the attribution is the seller’s own assessment and has not been independently verified — treat it with caution and ask the dealer about certification before buying.
3-day return window from receipt.
