This shakudo fuchi kashira is typical of Edo period Higo-style workmanship.  The shakudo is a lovely dark blue/black with a rich smooth patina.  Both fuchi and kashira are delicately carved with a breaking wave and mist motif.  The mist is represented by small nodes interspersed among the waves, with several still retaining their original gold gilding.  A kantei point for early fuchi (up to the early Edo period), is a taper from the closed front to the open back while looking at the fuchi in profile.  The taper however is uneven in early pieces, with one side being more angled.  Hard to explain, so take a look at the upper edges of the fuchi in the second and third images.  Notice that the upper edge shows a fairly pronounced taper, while the lower edge is nearly straight.  This was done to preserve the curvature of the saya through the tsuka.

Overall this is a very attractive set, well-made and preserved.  It would look great mounted on a Higo koshirae, or by itself as a representative piece of the Higo tradition.

Early Edo Period (17th c.)

 

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