TOSHO TSUBA

This is a beautiful example of an early to mid Muromachi period tosho tsuba. The surface has a fine grain texture with very visible linear tekkotsu. The patina is a flawless dark dark chocolate brown. The hitsu ana has been plugged with lead and has been stamped on both sides with a fine sun burst shaped pattern. The hitsu-ana was a later addition, and the plug likely even later -- but all during the Muromachi period.  This makes the plug an interesting part of the long history of this tsuba.  The sukashi of this tsuba is an early genre which is rather simple and stylistic, making it difficult to interpret, however from comparing other early representative examples it is possible that it represents the “suzu mushi” or “bell ringing cricket”. The suzu mushi is a commonly represented insect on early katchu shi, tosho, and ezo fittings.

This recently came out of a private collection of forty years.

See page 145 of Sasano sensei’s “Tosogu no Kigen” for a similar genre of design in a slightly later Katchu shi tsuba.

7.8 cm x 7.8 cm x 0.3 cm
 

SOLD