A Higo tsuba


By Suwa Ikuhei (1832-1903) Edo period (1615-1868) or Meiji era (1868-1912), 19th centuryThe tsuba of exaggerated mokko form, inlaid in gilt-metal with scattered karakusa ('Chinese grasses') scrolls, unsigned; with a wood storage box. 7.8cm (3 1/8in). (2).
|PublishedIto Mitsuru, Kamiyoshi no kinko: Hayashi, Kamiyoshi kakudai to sono sakuhin (Works of Hayashi and Kamiyoshi), Tokyo, 2008, p.438, no.5.For the maker, see Robert E. Haynes, The Index of Japanese Sword Fittings and Associated Artists, Ellwangen, Germany, Nihon Art Publishers, 2001, p.389, no.H01891. He was considered the fifth master of the Suwa school and worked for the Hosokawa daimyo.