NihontoWatchNihontoWatchTsuba signed "Iwamoto Munenaga" with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tosogu. Munenaga was active around 1825. Originally from Aizu in Iwashiro Province, later in life moved to Tokyo and became a student of Iwamoto Kanri. From him he received the right to sign Iwamoto. This kozuka is decorated with crows and herons. To be precise NBTHK describe the motive as "Uro" which means crows and herons or black and white. It is written the same way as board game Go, played with black and white stones. As far as I am aware this motive does not have a set interoperation. So here are few more interoperation ideas that I thought off. In Japan crow is a symbol of rebirth and rejuvenation, while heron is symbol of good luck. Therefore this tsuba might mean good luck on the new path of life? Two of the most legendary castles in Japan have those birds in their names. Himeji castle is called white heron, while Matsumoto is called a Crow Castle. There are a lot of white spots on the lower part of the front of the tsuba. They become much more visible due to flash photography. In real life they are almost invisible as long as this tsuba is not observed in a strong light. When I got this tsuba it was in much worse condition. After some care it looks way better. You can see the original condition on the NBTHK certificate. Size: 73 mm x 69 mm In custom made kiri box.
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Machibori · Edo
12 pieces on the market now
The Iwamoto school was a house of Edo machibori (町彫) metalworkers, founded in the early eighteenth century by Iwamoto Chūbei, a pupil of the Yokoya school, and continuing through eight generations of headmasters. As the NBTHK setsumei state repeatedly, "the Iwamoto line was originally of the Yokoya tradition," and the school's history turns on a succession crisis within that lineage: when the fifth-generation master Ryōkan died young, his junior fellow-disciple succeeded as sixth head of the Iwamoto house. This was Iwamoto Konkan, born in Edo in Enkyō 1 (1744), whose original family name was Asai and who first used the name Ryō (also read Ryōun) before changing it to Konkan. " He also signed with the art names Shunshōdō (春曙堂) and Hakuhōtei (白峯亭). The line continued through Iwamoto Kanri, common name Kijūrō, who first studied under Konkan, was later adopted by him, and succeeded as seventh head; the school's orbit also included the pupil Konju, who lived at Kōjimachi in Edo. The school's collective style rests on this synthesis of Yokoya sculptural discipline and Nara-school carving methods. Its preferred vocabulary is shakudō (赤銅) with nanako-ji (魚子地) ground, worked in takabori (高彫) high relief with suemon-zōgan (据紋象嵌) and polychrome iroe (色絵) in gold, silver, shibuichi (四分一), and suaka (素銅) copper; but the setsumei attest an unusually broad range of grounds — shibuichi and iron in polished migaki-ji (磨地), chirimen-ishime-ji[[c:1]], brass ishime-ji, and gold — together with sukidashi-bori (鋤出彫), sukishita-bori, relief-carved openwork, fine kebori (毛彫), and inlaid aogai (青貝) mother-of-pearl, set even into the eyes of fish.
The distinctive triangular chisel (sankaku-tagane 三角鏨) recurs as a house hallmark, as does a masterful command of negative space and calculated composition, with obverse and reverse conceived in deliberate contrast. Favored subjects are drawn from nature observed with startling fidelity: the uo-zukushi (魚尽) arrays of fish "rendered with such precision that one feels each individual species could be identified," each scale and backbone carved line by line; herons among reeds; pheasants under a hazy moon; carp gliding through waterweed; alongside shishi, orchids, chrysanthemums, dragons, landscape narratives such as cormorant fishing and the Chōfu Tamagawa, and even Buddhist imagery of Dainichi Nyorai and Niō. The setsumei judge Konkan to have "ranked among the foremost artists of the naturalistic, sketch-from-life approach," while a fully matched aoi-crest mounting shows the school equally capable of orthodox, formal commissioned work. The Iwamoto school's place in the tosogu canon rests above all on Konkan, counted among the leading Edo metalworkers and habitually praised in the setsumei with the phrase "Edomae no iki" — the quintessential stylishness of Edo; his fame is further reflected in the extensive forgery of his signature. Works transmitted in the Tsugaru and Sakai daimyō families attest the esteem his oeuvre commanded. The tradition did not end with him: Kanri "followed his teacher's manner closely and, after Konkan, produced a number of powerful works," while Konju's carving, "taut and controlled" in the master's likeness, carried the inlay-centered iroe methods forward. Wide-ranging in subject and prolific in output, the school stands as one of the defining expressions of late-Edo machibori art — a lineage in which the strengths of the Yokoya and Nara traditions were fused into a single, unmistakably urbane style. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Konkan昆寛 | — | 50 |
| Kanri寛利 | 1776-1815 | 3 |
| Masakatsu政克 (Masamoto | — | 0 |
| Soei宗栄 | — | 0 |
| Ryokan良寛 | — | 0 |
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 siteInspection period (per the shop's shipping policy): after receiving the item, each customer has two weeks for inspection. In that time you may decide to return it, and the item will be refunded in full. Shipping costs are not refunded. Returns (per the shop's refund policy): the policy lasts 30 days; once 30 days have passed since purchase, no refund or exchange is possible. To be eligible for a return, the item must be in the same condition in which it was received and in its original packaging. Customized products cannot be returned. In certain situations only a partial refund is granted. Return shipping is at the customer's expense, and shipping costs are non-refundable.