NihontoWatchNihontoWatchTetsu-ji hotei-bara shitate kenma-ji maru-gata sahari zogan kata-hitsukubo shakudo fukurin-mimi This is a signed tsuba by Kunitomo Sadahide, a representative smith of Hazama-tsuba. Due to the decrease in orders for firearms from the Tokugawa Bakufu as the era of peace continued, Sadahide left his hometown of Goshu Kunitomo-mura during the Hoei era and was employed as a tsubako by the Matsudaira family of Seishu Kameyama. After that, following the transfer of the Matsudaira family, he followed them to Joshu and Soshu Sakura. His style mainly consists of the sahari zogan technique developed based on the zogan of firearm barrels, boldly applying sahari zogan of flowers and grasses to a tetsu-ji, leaving works with a unique character although they lack flamboyance. "Sahari zogan refers to hira-zogan of a silvery-gray alloy (an alloy of copper, lead, zinc, shirome, silver, etc.). It is said to have more hardness than it appears." You can enjoy the bold kumazasa pattern and the charm of Hazama-tsuba. In a dedicated tsuba kiribako.
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Machine translation from the shop's Japanese · may contain errors ·
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 |
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.
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