(Mei) Kikuchi Gufu tame Sou-shi tsukuru kore An'ei kyu ne-doshi nigatsu kichijitsu Yoshihiro. This is a Kasumizakura sukashi tsuba. This work comes with a Tokubetsu Hozon Tosogu certificate. Yoshihiro was a Higo tsuba-ko. Nishigaki school. He signed as Gufu Yoshihiro and Kumamoto Yoshihiro, and there are tsuba with date inscriptions from Meiwa 4 and An'ei 9. Higo-ju, Kumamoto-ju. Using tetsu migaki-ji for the jitetsu, the shape represents a chrysanthemum flower, and small inome are carved into the four corners. Towards the nakago-ana, cherry blossom sukashi are applied, while on the ji, kasumi (haze) is expressed in places with kin nunome-zogan, creating a peaceful spring atmosphere. This tsuba has a deep black tetsu-iro of high quality, and while the nunome-zogan is beautiful and masterful, the meibun includes "tame Sou-shi tsukuru kore," making it a precious work created by order of the Tsushima Daimyo family, who were important in diplomacy with Korea from the Kamakura period to the Meiji era. Furthermore, this piece is a shozai work published in the "Higo Kinko Taikan." It is a work where one can enjoy both the excellence of the craftsmanship itself and the high prestige of a custom-ordered piece. Tate × Yoko × Atsusa: 7.3cm × 7.0cm × 0.4cm Metalsmith: Yoshihiro (Higo domain or Kumamoto prefecture) Inscribed: Ordered by Sou clan (the governors in Tsushima island about 600 years) in 1780 Design: Cherry blossom flowers in haze Certificate: Tokubetsu Hozon (Issued by NBTHK) Depth × Width: 7.3cm × 7.0cm Thickness: 0.4cm
Certificate reading — 銘 菊池隅府為宗氏造之 安永九子二月吉日 良弘
NihontoWatchmei · Kamakura
Nishigaki School
Kamakura
Higo
Signed
Tokuho (NBTHK)
Higo · Higo
36 pieces on the market now
The Nishigaki school is one of the four great lineages of Higo metalworkers, ranked alongside the Hayashi, Hirata, and Shimizu families. Its founder, Nishigaki Kanshiro I (also known as Yoshihiro), was born in Keicho 18 (1613) at Nakatsu in Buzen Province, the son of a Shinto priest. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Kanshiro勘四郎 | — | 31 |
| Kanzaemon勘左衛門 | — | 0 |
| Kanzaemon勘左衛門 | — | 0 |
| Kanpei勘平 | — | 0 |
| Nagahisa永久 | — | 5 |
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 siteFor purchases made through the website, we accept returns of the item as a cooling-off period within one week of its arrival.
(Mei) Kikuchi Gufu tame Sou-shi tsukuru kore An'ei kyu ne-doshi nigatsu kichijitsu Yoshihiro. This is a Kasumizakura sukashi tsuba. This work comes with a Tokubetsu Hozon Tosogu certificate. Yoshihiro was a Higo tsuba-ko. Nishigaki school. He signed as Gufu Yoshihiro and Kumamoto Yoshihiro, and there are tsuba with date inscriptions from Meiwa 4 and An'ei 9. Higo-ju, Kumamoto-ju. Using tetsu migaki-ji for the jitetsu, the shape represents a chrysanthemum flower, and small inome are carved into the four corners. Towards the nakago-ana, cherry blossom sukashi are applied, while on the ji, kasumi (haze) is expressed in places with kin nunome-zogan, creating a peaceful spring atmosphere. This tsuba has a deep black tetsu-iro of high quality, and while the nunome-zogan is beautiful and masterful, the meibun includes "tame Sou-shi tsukuru kore," making it a precious work created by order of the Tsushima Daimyo family, who were important in diplomacy with Korea from the Kamakura period to the Meiji era. Furthermore, this piece is a shozai work published in the "Higo Kinko Taikan." It is a work where one can enjoy both the excellence of the craftsmanship itself and the high prestige of a custom-ordered piece. Tate × Yoko × Atsusa: 7.3cm × 7.0cm × 0.4cm Metalsmith: Yoshihiro (Higo domain or Kumamoto prefecture) Inscribed: Ordered by Sou clan (the governors in Tsushima island about 600 years) in 1780 Design: Cherry blossom flowers in haze Certificate: Tokubetsu Hozon (Issued by NBTHK) Depth × Width: 7.3cm × 7.0cm Thickness: 0.4cm
Certificate reading — 銘 菊池隅府為宗氏造之 安永九子二月吉日 良弘
NihontoWatchmei · Kamakura
Nishigaki School
Kamakura
Higo
Signed
Tokuho (NBTHK)
Higo · Higo
36 pieces on the market now
The Nishigaki school is one of the four great lineages of Higo metalworkers, ranked alongside the Hayashi, Hirata, and Shimizu families. Its founder, Nishigaki Kanshiro I (also known as Yoshihiro), was born in Keicho 18 (1613) at Nakatsu in Buzen Province, the son of a Shinto priest. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Kanshiro勘四郎 | — | 31 |
| Kanzaemon勘左衛門 | — | 0 |
| Kanzaemon勘左衛門 | — | 0 |
| Kanpei勘平 | — | 0 |
| Nagahisa永久 | — | 5 |
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 siteFor purchases made through the website, we accept returns of the item as a cooling-off period within one week of its arrival.
