This is an unsigned tsuba by Sendai Kiyosada, featuring a 'Gunbai Chirashi Zu' (scattered war fans) design. Made in the early Edo period, it showcases intricate gold inlay on a shakudo ishime-ji (stone-patterned copper-gold alloy) ground. The tsuba comes with an NBTHK Hozon Tosogu certificate.
Certificate reading — 無銘（仙台清定）
NihontoWatchmumei · Sendai Kiyosada · Edo
Kusakari Kiyosada
Edo
Unsigned
Hozon (NBTHK)
Kinko · Mutsu (Sendai) · mid Edo
1 piece on the market now
Kusakari Kiyosada the First, common name Hachisaburo, who took Kusakariya as his house name, was a metalwork artist retained by the Date family of the great Sendai domain. The setsumei record that he first studied under the Sendai-domain craftsman Masamura Shichiuemon, then went down to Edo and learned in the Omori house, and in the Tenmei years returned to Sendai to become a Date domain craftsman. In the Date domain the retained houses of Shibuya, Kusakari, Oguma, Saito, Masamura and Sukegawa were active, and above all the Shibuya and Kusakari houses developed the flat-inlay technique, which won the acclaim of the world. His own forte, which the records say he was best at above all, is the war-fan device inlaid in gold on a shakudo ishime ground: his inlay method outlines the design with a high-relief carved-in gold line, then fills the field flush, level with the ground, with geometric patterns such as the saaya fret, the tortoise-shell, the masu square and the hemp-leaf, all set in fine gold wire. His signature reads Sendai-ju Kiyosada, cut without a kao.
Where Kiyosada 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.
Kinko · Mutsu (Sendai)
5 pieces on the market now
The Kusakari school (草苅) was one of several distinguished kinko lineages retained as official domain craftsmen (kakae-ko) by the Date family of Sendai, one of the great han of Mutsu Province. Alongside the Shibuya, Oguma, Saito, Masamura, and Sukegawa houses, the Kusakari artisans served as han-ko to the Date throughout the middle and late Edo period. "[[c:1]] The founding master, Kiyosada (清定, first generation), used Kusakariya as his house name. He apprenticed under Masamura Shichiemon, a craftsman in service to the Sendai domain, then travelled to Edo to study under the Omori family before returning to Sendai during the Tenmei era (1781-1789) to assume his position as domain artisan to the Date house. The Kusakari school's collective style is defined by a highly distinctive inlay method practiced on shakudo grounds. The canonical technique, described with near-formulaic consistency across the corpus, proceeds as follows: on an ishime-ji (stone-textured) ground, the outlines of the design are carved in high relief and inlaid with gold wire (kinsen-zogan); the interior is then polished out (togidashi) to lie nearly level with the ground plane, and filled with geometric patterns executed in hira-zogan.
The repertoire of interior patterns is itself a hallmark: kikko (tortoiseshell), sayagata (linked swastika fret), masugata (square diaper), asanoha (hemp leaf), ajiro (woven mat), shippo-tsunagi (linked seven-jewel), nami-chidori (waves with plovers), and soryu (paired dragons) recur across nearly every designated work. "[[c:2]] The standard ground is ishime-ji, though at least one rare example employs nanako-ji, suggesting a specially commissioned piece of exceptional care[[c:3]]. Gold fukurin rims, sometimes bearing flowing-water (ryusui) designs, and gold-lined hitsu-ana complete the refined presentation. The Kusakari school's significance rests in its mastery of a technically demanding inlay method that became synonymous with Sendai kinko craftsmanship. Kiyosada's works are praised across the setsumei for their "splendid command of technique"[[c:5]] and the "strong professional pride" they convey, with designated examples ranging from characteristic gunbai tsuba to rarer departures such as a raptor-and-cypress composition that combines katakiribori and kebori with the school's signature inlay manner[[c:4]]. The consistency of the NBTHK's assessments — describing the works as displaying "the maker's distinctive character together with his accurate and advanced technical skill"[[c:6]] — affirms the Kusakari tradition as a defining expression of domain metalwork in the service of one of Edo-period Japan's most powerful daimyo houses. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Kiyosada清定 | mid Edo | 6 |
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 siteFor one-of-a-kind items such as swords, sword fittings, and antiques, please contact us about a return within 3 days of the item's arrival and ship it back within 8 days. Refunds are issued the same day the returned item arrives.
This is an unsigned tsuba by Sendai Kiyosada, featuring a 'Gunbai Chirashi Zu' (scattered war fans) design. Made in the early Edo period, it showcases intricate gold inlay on a shakudo ishime-ji (stone-patterned copper-gold alloy) ground. The tsuba comes with an NBTHK Hozon Tosogu certificate.
Certificate reading — 無銘（仙台清定）
NihontoWatchmumei · Sendai Kiyosada · Edo
Kusakari Kiyosada
Edo
Unsigned
Hozon (NBTHK)
Kinko · Mutsu (Sendai) · mid Edo
1 piece on the market now
Kusakari Kiyosada the First, common name Hachisaburo, who took Kusakariya as his house name, was a metalwork artist retained by the Date family of the great Sendai domain. The setsumei record that he first studied under the Sendai-domain craftsman Masamura Shichiuemon, then went down to Edo and learned in the Omori house, and in the Tenmei years returned to Sendai to become a Date domain craftsman. In the Date domain the retained houses of Shibuya, Kusakari, Oguma, Saito, Masamura and Sukegawa were active, and above all the Shibuya and Kusakari houses developed the flat-inlay technique, which won the acclaim of the world. His own forte, which the records say he was best at above all, is the war-fan device inlaid in gold on a shakudo ishime ground: his inlay method outlines the design with a high-relief carved-in gold line, then fills the field flush, level with the ground, with geometric patterns such as the saaya fret, the tortoise-shell, the masu square and the hemp-leaf, all set in fine gold wire. His signature reads Sendai-ju Kiyosada, cut without a kao.
Where Kiyosada 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.
Kinko · Mutsu (Sendai)
5 pieces on the market now
The Kusakari school (草苅) was one of several distinguished kinko lineages retained as official domain craftsmen (kakae-ko) by the Date family of Sendai, one of the great han of Mutsu Province. Alongside the Shibuya, Oguma, Saito, Masamura, and Sukegawa houses, the Kusakari artisans served as han-ko to the Date throughout the middle and late Edo period. "[[c:1]] The founding master, Kiyosada (清定, first generation), used Kusakariya as his house name. He apprenticed under Masamura Shichiemon, a craftsman in service to the Sendai domain, then travelled to Edo to study under the Omori family before returning to Sendai during the Tenmei era (1781-1789) to assume his position as domain artisan to the Date house. The Kusakari school's collective style is defined by a highly distinctive inlay method practiced on shakudo grounds. The canonical technique, described with near-formulaic consistency across the corpus, proceeds as follows: on an ishime-ji (stone-textured) ground, the outlines of the design are carved in high relief and inlaid with gold wire (kinsen-zogan); the interior is then polished out (togidashi) to lie nearly level with the ground plane, and filled with geometric patterns executed in hira-zogan.
The repertoire of interior patterns is itself a hallmark: kikko (tortoiseshell), sayagata (linked swastika fret), masugata (square diaper), asanoha (hemp leaf), ajiro (woven mat), shippo-tsunagi (linked seven-jewel), nami-chidori (waves with plovers), and soryu (paired dragons) recur across nearly every designated work. "[[c:2]] The standard ground is ishime-ji, though at least one rare example employs nanako-ji, suggesting a specially commissioned piece of exceptional care[[c:3]]. Gold fukurin rims, sometimes bearing flowing-water (ryusui) designs, and gold-lined hitsu-ana complete the refined presentation. The Kusakari school's significance rests in its mastery of a technically demanding inlay method that became synonymous with Sendai kinko craftsmanship. Kiyosada's works are praised across the setsumei for their "splendid command of technique"[[c:5]] and the "strong professional pride" they convey, with designated examples ranging from characteristic gunbai tsuba to rarer departures such as a raptor-and-cypress composition that combines katakiribori and kebori with the school's signature inlay manner[[c:4]]. The consistency of the NBTHK's assessments — describing the works as displaying "the maker's distinctive character together with his accurate and advanced technical skill"[[c:6]] — affirms the Kusakari tradition as a defining expression of domain metalwork in the service of one of Edo-period Japan's most powerful daimyo houses. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Kiyosada清定 | mid Edo | 6 |
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 siteFor one-of-a-kind items such as swords, sword fittings, and antiques, please contact us about a return within 3 days of the item's arrival and ship it back within 8 days. Refunds are issued the same day the returned item arrives.
