We have here a very charming Tsuba from the Higo Shimizu school by the fourth or fifth Jingo master. Under the patronage of the Hosokawa Daimyou who ruled over the Higo fief (today’s Kumamoto prefecture) the Shimizu school flourished and created some of the most individualistic and iconic sword fittings in history, well known for their ‘Wabi Sabi’ feeling and their reduced and elegant appearance. The second to fifth master of the school used the name ‘Jingoro’ or ‘Jingo’ and it is to be noted, that the NBTHK makes a distinct difference in their certificates when attributing items to the masters. When attributing items to the first and second master, they would use the Kanji 甚五 for Jingo while attributions to the later Jingo masters would use the Kanji 甚吾 for Jingo. Note that the second letter has a small square for the later generations.
The present Tsuba exhibits a perfect iron surface and patina and is thus a great study piece to learn about the beauty of iron Tsuba. The design shows an abstraction of the chrysanthemum flower family crest where the flower is surrounded by a thick circular rim. The rim itself is decorated with ‘Gin Zogan’, a fine silver inlay which creates a used and old feeling with its deliberate imperfections. The flower petals are highlighted by thicker silver threads which here and there are cut off to add to the naturalistic interpretation of the motif. The soft carving of the iron and the seemingly wet surface round up the whole picture beautifully.
Attributed to ‘Jingo’ by the NBTHK Hozon certificate.
Comes with a high quality custom made Kiri box.
H: 7.3 cm
W: 6.9 cm
R: 3.5 mm
Sd: 4 mm
