NihontoWatchNihontoWatchChikurin Koshi is a pictorial theme representing noble figures who distance themselves from the clamor of the mundane world to devote themselves to scholarship and refined pursuits; together with bamboo, which maintains its greenness without bending its integrity even in harsh wind and snow, it symbolizes the spirit of the literati who value purity and live within nature. This work is a kozuka made of a slender sentoku base finished in migaki-ji, with bamboo leaves arranged at the top of the composition and a high-ranking figure holding a letter depicted below using a combination of takabori and kebori; the figure wearing a wide kasa casts a quiet gaze upon the letter with a peaceful expression, which, combined with the long flowing robes, evocatively portrays the contemplative state of a noble standing in a bamboo grove. By skillfully combining different iroe for the face, hands, kasa, and various parts of the clothing, rich color and a sense of three-dimensionality are created within the sentoku base that exhibits a calm golden hue, and the tagane has been applied meticulously to the facial features, the outlines of the robes, the fine patterns decorating the hem, and even the bamboo leaves and grass at the feet, neatly composing the scene of a quiet bamboo grove within the limited space. The reverse side is a lustrous shakudo migaki-ji with the mei of Masaharu and a kao carved at the bottom; because the bright and warm surface of the sentoku base and the deep, calm black of the shakudo reverse show a beautiful contrast, one can enjoy the different metal tones and finishes on the front and back. Due to its small and slender dimensions of 91.36 mm in nagasa and 11.1 mm in width, it is thought to have been specially produced to match a small-scale koshirae such as a chigozashi, and this type of small kozuka has few extant examples, possessing a rarity distinct from kozuka of general dimensions. Although the sentoku base shows a calm old color and fine scratches from the passage of time, the expressions of the figure, the folds of the clothing, the carving of the bamboo leaves, and the iroe decorations are well-preserved, making it a piece of high collecting value where one can appreciate the exquisite work of the tagane and the refined taste condensed into a small frame the more one holds it and gazes upon it.
NihontoWatchOffered by Toushin
We couldn’t find current papers for this piece. Ask the dealer whether it has been, or can be, submitted to shinsa. — Hoshi
3 on the market
Ito Masaharu
Edo
Signed
As written by the shop
Machine translation from the shop's Japanese · may contain errors ·
Iron-tsuba
3 pieces on the market now
Iron-tsuba · Musashi
52 pieces on the market now
The Ito school (伊藤派) was a prolific kinkō lineage based in Kanda, Edo, in Musashi province. The line was established by Masanaga (正長, d. 1727), who received appointment as official tsuba maker (kōgi o-kakae tsubashi) to the Tokugawa Shogunate following an audience with Shogun Ienobu in 1710. Successive heads bore the character 正 (Masa-) in their art names, producing ten recorded generations from the Genroku era through the Meiji period. The second-generation master Masatsune (正恒) developed ito-sukashi (糸透かし), the school's signature technique of extremely fine saw-cut openwork. The tenth and final head, Itō Katsumi (伊藤勝見, 1829--1910), originally named Masataka (正隆), entered the school of Tanaka Seiju (田中清寿) at twelve, was adopted into his master's household at seventeen, and received the rank of Hōkyō (法橋) while still young, together with the art name Tōryūsai (東竜斎). After parting ways with Seiju, Katsumi studied maki-e under Shibata Zeshin (柴田是真), and in Man'en 1 (1860) was adopted into the Itō Masahiro family, becoming the tenth-generation head. This dual formation -- kinkō discipline under the Tanaka lineage and lacquer refinement under Zeshin -- profoundly shaped the school's late output.
The Ito school's collective style is characterised by mastery of zōgan (象嵌, inlay) and iroe (色絵, polychrome metalwork) deployed with what the setsumei repeatedly describe as precision and accuracy. Works are executed on plates of iron, shibuichi (四分一), oboro-gin (朧銀), or shakudō (赤銅), frequently with nanako-ji (魚子地) grounds. The technical repertoire encompasses takabori (高彫, high relief), sukidashi takabori (鋤出高彫), katakiribori (片切彫), fine kebori (毛彫, hairline engraving), suemon-zōgan (据文象嵌), and nunome-zōgan (布目象嵌), often combined within a single composition. Masatsune's work employs shippō (七宝, cloisonné enamel) on iron plate, as seen in a unified uchigatana koshirae signed "Bushū-jū Masatsune" whose tsuba, fuchi-kashira, kurikata, and kaerizuno are coordinated as a single aesthetic programme[[c:1]] with raden (螺鈿, mother-of-pearl) and gold uchikomi (打込) work. Katsumi's mature output favours figural and narrative subjects: the Frog Battle after the celebrated Chōjū-giga scrolls attributed to Toba Sōjō, Gama Sennin with his toad beneath a willow, and Daisē Fudō Myōō realised with emphatic devotional presence. "[[c:6]] The Ito school occupies a distinctive place in the tsuba canon as a Musashi-based lineage that sustained high-level production across the entire Edo period. Its works were widely disseminated through the sankin-kōtai system, as samurai from all provinces acquired Ito tsuba during their attendance in Edo. "[[c:7]] That his tsuba depicting the Chōjū-giga Frog Battle is described as a "forceful work from his later years"[[c:5]] whose "composition, which successfully preserves the spirit of the original painting, is outstanding" confirms the school's enduring capacity to unite pictorial invention with metalworking virtuosity. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Katsumi勝見 | — | 4 |
| Sadatsune貞恒 | — | 0 |
| Masayoshi正備 | — | 0 |
| Masatsune正常 | — | 0 |
| Masakane正金 | — | 0 |
We could not find an authenticity certificate on the seller’s listing. Japanese swords and fittings are normally papered by the NBTHK (or the NTHK). Without one, the attribution is the seller’s own assessment and has not been independently verified — treat it with caution and ask the dealer about certification before buying.
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¥198,000