Shakudo Tsuba with ox and herd boy by Tomotsune
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
late 18th to early 19th century, Edo period
This Japanese tsuba, or sword guard, is crafted from shakudo in a marugata, or circular, form. The piece features an uchikaeshi (raised) mimi (rim) and includes both a kogai hitsu-ana and a kozuka hitsu-ana.
The surface is finished in shakudo migakiji (polished shakudo) and is embellished with intricate chiseled decoration executed in katakiribori and kebori techniques. The design depicts a serene scene of a young herd boy playing the flute while resting beside an ox near a stream, with the imagery extending across both sides of the guard. The tsuba measures 7.4 cm in height by 7.4 cm in length, with a nakago width of 2.8 cm and a thickness of 0.4 cm at both the mimi and the seppa-dai.
It weighs 129.7 grams. The piece is signed "Tomotsune," an artist documented in the Haynes Index of Japanese Sword Fittings and Associated Artists. This fine example of Japanese metalwork dates to the late 18th to early 19th century, during the Edo period.
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
- Height
- 7.4 cm
- Length
- 7.4 cm
- Weight
- 129.7 g
- Material
- shakudo
- Thickness
- 0.4 cm
Technical characteristics
- Form
- marugata
- Hitsu ana
- kogai and kozuka
- Nakago width
- 2.8 cm
Design
- Rim
- uchikaeshi mimi
- Motif
- herd boy with ox playing flute by a stream
- Technique
- katakiribori and kebori
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
- Tomotsune
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.