This is an unsigned tsuba attributed to Ko Kinko, dating from the late Muromachi period. It features a mokko-gata shape with a yamagane ishime-ji surface and old-style hitsu-ana. This piece offers a classic, antique aesthetic, recommended for collectors who appreciate older tsuba.
Certificate reading — 無銘（古金工）
NihontoWatchBETAmumei · Ko-Kinko · Muromachi
Ko-kinko School
Muromachi
Unsigned
Hozon (NBTHK)
Kinko
The term Ko-kinkō (古金工) denotes a collective category of metalworkers whose lineages extend from archaic times and continue through the Momoyama period, representing traditions that predate the formalized schools of the Edo period. Rather than constituting a single unified workshop, this attribution encompasses multiple regional traditions that shared certain technical and aesthetic principles while maintaining distinct local characteristics. Learn more →
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 sitePlease contact us by phone within 3 days of the item's arrival and ship it back the next day. The postage and security service fees are the customer's responsibility.
This is an unsigned tsuba attributed to Ko Kinko, dating from the late Muromachi period. It features a mokko-gata shape with a yamagane ishime-ji surface and old-style hitsu-ana. This piece offers a classic, antique aesthetic, recommended for collectors who appreciate older tsuba.
Certificate reading — 無銘（古金工）
NihontoWatchBETAmumei · Ko-Kinko · Muromachi
Ko-kinko School
Muromachi
Unsigned
Hozon (NBTHK)
Kinko
The term Ko-kinkō (古金工) denotes a collective category of metalworkers whose lineages extend from archaic times and continue through the Momoyama period, representing traditions that predate the formalized schools of the Edo period. Rather than constituting a single unified workshop, this attribution encompasses multiple regional traditions that shared certain technical and aesthetic principles while maintaining distinct local characteristics. Learn more →
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 sitePlease contact us by phone within 3 days of the item's arrival and ship it back the next day. The postage and security service fees are the customer's responsibility.
