This is an iron tsuba featuring an openwork dragon design, crafted by Ichiryu Tomoyoshi, a prominent metalworker of the late Edo period Mito school. It is a typical example of his skilled dragon motif work. The tsuba comes with an NBTHK Hozon Tosogu certificate.
mei · Edo





Mito Tomoyoshi
Edo
Mito
Signed
Hozon (NBTHK)
Machibori · Hitachi · around 1716-c.1920
5 pieces on the market now
Machibori · Hitachi
78 pieces on the market now
The Mito school of sword-fitting makers emerged as an officially sponsored tradition in the domains of the Tokugawa family's Mito branch, achieving particular prominence in the late Edo period. The school's lineage traces through Shinozaki Katsushige and his successors, who served as goyō horimonoshi (official engravers) to the domain. Unlike the privately patronized workshops of Edo and Kyoto, Mito metalworkers operated within a system of domain service, producing both presentation fittings for formal occasions and richly decorated works for commission. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Katsuhira勝平 | 1804-1886 | 13 |
| Shomin勝珉 | 1844-1915 | 11 |
| Teikan貞幹 | — | 5 |
| Katsutoshi勝寿 | — | 1 |
| Mototane元胤 | — | 0 |
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 cooling-off, contact us within 3 days including the day you received the item, and ship it so that it arrives within 8 days. After 8 days a return cannot be accepted. Returning an item after 8 days will be treated as a buy-back.
This is an iron tsuba featuring an openwork dragon design, crafted by Ichiryu Tomoyoshi, a prominent metalworker of the late Edo period Mito school. It is a typical example of his skilled dragon motif work. The tsuba comes with an NBTHK Hozon Tosogu certificate.
mei · Edo





Mito Tomoyoshi
Edo
Mito
Signed
Hozon (NBTHK)
Machibori · Hitachi · around 1716-c.1920
5 pieces on the market now
Machibori · Hitachi
78 pieces on the market now
The Mito school of sword-fitting makers emerged as an officially sponsored tradition in the domains of the Tokugawa family's Mito branch, achieving particular prominence in the late Edo period. The school's lineage traces through Shinozaki Katsushige and his successors, who served as goyō horimonoshi (official engravers) to the domain. Unlike the privately patronized workshops of Edo and Kyoto, Mito metalworkers operated within a system of domain service, producing both presentation fittings for formal occasions and richly decorated works for commission. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Katsuhira勝平 | 1804-1886 | 13 |
| Shomin勝珉 | 1844-1915 | 11 |
| Teikan貞幹 | — | 5 |
| Katsutoshi勝寿 | — | 1 |
| Mototane元胤 | — | 0 |
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 cooling-off, contact us within 3 days including the day you received the item, and ship it so that it arrives within 8 days. After 8 days a return cannot be accepted. Returning an item after 8 days will be treated as a buy-back.