NihontoWatchNihontoWatchThe author Sadahide was originally a gunsmith from Kunitomo Village in Omi Province. As the demand for firearms decreased, he mastered the production and decorative qualities of tsuba by refining a technique of inlaying a unique alloy into iron grounds, and during the Hoei era, he was employed by the Matsudaira family of Kameyama in Ise Province. Thereafter, following the transfers of his lord's domain, he moved his place of activity to Yodo in Yamashiro Province and Sakura in Kazusa Province. Sahari zogan is a special zogan technique in which an alloy called sahari, consisting of copper, lead, tin, and other metals, is melted and poured into the carved portions of a design. This tsuba is crafted from a strongly forged iron ground in a goishi shape, featuring heavily ripening grapes on the omote and a bold composition of an axe on the ura. In various places, small circular pinholes caused by the solidification and shrinkage of the molten sahari can be observed. At the same time, granular sahari that has not yet completely melted remains in the voids, which also creates a natural landscape. The great appeal of sahari zogan tsuba lies not only in the skill of the carved designs but also in the presence of such unintended landscapes produced by the metallic materials.
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Kinko · Ise
2 pieces on the market now
Where Sadahide stands among comparable artisans: across all of nihontō, and within tradition, era, and period. The tiers (Foremost · Leading · Major · Notable) weigh official designations from the NBTHK and Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs, together with historical honors of lasting repute such as the Sansaku and Meibutsu-chō.
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Kinko · Ise
8 pieces on the market now
The Hazama school (Hazama-ha 間派), also known as the Kameyama tsuba makers, emerged in the castle town of Kameyama in Ise Province from around the Genroku era (1688-1704). The school's founders were members of the Kunitomo (国友) family, originally matchlock gunsmiths (teppou kaji) who had lived in Omi Province. "[[c:2]] Works bear either the single-character signature "間" (Ma) or personal names such as Kunitomo Sadaei and Masaei (正栄), linking the school's named artisans to a shared workshop tradition rooted in the military metalworking crafts of the Kunitomo lineage. The Hazama school's defining contribution is sahari-zougan (佐波理象嵌), an inlay technique employing sahari, a distinctive alloy of copper, tin, and lead.
"[[c:4]] Techniques attested across the corpus include suemon-zougan (applied inlay), takabori takanikubori (high-relief carving) in shakudou, hira-zougan (flat inlay), and the yakite kusarashi (fired and corroded) surface treatment. "[[c:5]] The Hazama school occupies a singular position within the broader kinko tradition as the only lineage to have applied sahari inlay to tsuba production. " The school's origin as firearms craftsmen who transferred their metalworking mastery to a peaceful art form, and their creation of a decorative vocabulary without parallel elsewhere in tsuba production, secure their place as one of the most distinctive regional schools of the mid-Edo period. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Masahide正秀 | — | 3 |
| Sadahide貞秀 | — | 3 |
| Masataka正孝 | — | 0 |
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