This is a mumei Kyō-sukashi tsuba from the late Muromachi Period, 16th Century, featuring a design of iris and water plantain. Made of iron, it measures 7.7 x 7.6 x 0.4 cm and comes with an NBTHK Hozon Tōsogu certificate. The design, known as kakitsubata ni omodaka, is an ancient floral composition with open space and thin, sharp lines, reminiscent of earlier Kyō-sukashi work.
Certificate reading — 無銘（京透）
NihontoWatchBETAmumei · Kyo-Sukashi · early Muromachi (c. 1390-1430)
Kyo-sukashi School
early Muromachi (c. 1390-1430)
Unsigned
Hozon (NBTHK)
Iron-tsuba · Yamashiro
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 siteThis is a mumei Kyō-sukashi tsuba from the late Muromachi Period, 16th Century, featuring a design of iris and water plantain. Made of iron, it measures 7.7 x 7.6 x 0.4 cm and comes with an NBTHK Hozon Tōsogu certificate. The design, known as kakitsubata ni omodaka, is an ancient floral composition with open space and thin, sharp lines, reminiscent of earlier Kyō-sukashi work.
Certificate reading — 無銘（京透）
NihontoWatchBETAmumei · Kyo-Sukashi · early Muromachi (c. 1390-1430)
Kyo-sukashi School
early Muromachi (c. 1390-1430)
Unsigned
Hozon (NBTHK)
Iron-tsuba · Yamashiro
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 site
