NihontoWatchNihontoWatchThe Hazama school, which followed the lineage of Kunitomo gunsmiths such as Teiei and Masahide, gained wide popularity for a style that decorated various stylized objects on a tetsu ground with an unusual metal called sahari. Sahari is an alloy of copper, tin, and lead, a material with a long history used in ancient times for Buddhist ritual implements and the joints of makie writing boxes. The sensibility and technical skill to apply this to tsuba should be highly evaluated, and the works exude a unique elegance. This tsuba arranges shells on the omote and seaweed on the ura, suggesting the abundance of marine products. Natural voids remain in places within the patterns where the molten sahari was poured, and these form a keshiki that is a highlight of the piece. Tokubetsu Hozon Tosogu Kanteisho
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Kinko · Ise
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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 |
A Hozon-certified fitting of notably superior craftsmanship and condition, often with signature or workmanship of high reference value.
The NBTHK (Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai, the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords) is a public-interest incorporated foundation founded in 1948 and supervised by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs (Bunkachō); it is based at the Japanese Sword Museum in Tokyo. Its expert panels physically examine each submitted work (shinsa) and issue a certificate (kanteishō) ranking it by artistic and historical merit. NBTHK papers are the most widely recognized standard of authentication for Japanese swords and fittings.
NBTHK official siteIf, due to our fault, the item differs significantly from its proper condition, the item may be returned. Cooling-off is within one week of the item's arrival.
¥600,000