Japanese Soten school iron maru gata tsuba
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
Edo Period
This Japanese sword guard, or tsuba, is attributed to the Soten school and dates to the Edo period. It is designed in the maru gata, or circular style, and is crafted from iron.
The tsuba features intricate openwork, or sukashi, depicting a complex samurai scene. The craftsmanship incorporates gilt highlights, which provide contrast against the dark iron surface. Centrally, the tsuba features the nakago-ana, the aperture designed to accommodate the sword tang. The design emphasizes detailed narrative elements typical of the Soten school's aesthetic, which frequently utilized high-relief figures and decorative metalwork on sword mountings.
The object measures approximately 3 inches in length. Its circular form is typical of traditional Japanese tsuba construction, serving as a functional handguard for a katana or wakizashi while simultaneously acting as a platform for artistic expression and status display through fine metalwork and gilding.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Physical characteristics
- Length
- 3 inches
- Material
- iron
Technical characteristics
- Form
- maru gata
Design
- Technique
- openwork
- Decoration
- samurai scene with gilt highlights
Identification
- Source note
- Described from a single auction-house listing published on Invaluable (reproduced with Invaluable's permission). Details apply to that one example; other examples of the type may differ, and the listing is supplementary evidence, not authentication.
- Maker named in listing
- Soten school
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.