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The
Goto family is the most famous Ha in the ornament
metalsmiths history of Japanese
swords. The founder Goto Yujo (1440
- 1512) flourished in the latter part of the Ashikaga
Shogunate, and his family
was active until the end of the
Tokugawa Shogunate (about 400 years).The Goto family not only reigned over the
metal-carving world but also
dominated finance, politics, and arts. |
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The family of Goto continued from the
founder Yujo to the 17th head Tenjo. At the time of the
6th head Eijo, the Goto family was appointed as an
official sword fitting maker by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the
first Shogunate. |
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Goto Ichijo (1791 - 1876) is the last master
craftsman in the Goto's history. He started his
carrier with maintaining the Goto's tradition, "Iebori". Later
on, he broadened out of his designing styles and tried to
break from the Goto's traditions. He fostered
several good craftsmen. |
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Some of the branches of Goto were established
after the time of the 4th head Kojo and the 5th head
Tokujo. There were as many as 14 Goto branches: the
Rihei family, Kihei, Genbei, Edo-Seijo and more. These branch families
are called "Waki-Goto" in contrast to the head
family. |
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The definition of Tosho-Tsuba is 'tsuba made by
swordsmiths' not by tsuba craftsmen. Most of their pieces
of works are made of iron, and one or two small openwork
per piece. Tosho-Tsuba are tasteful because
each iron plate is forged very well and each openwork is
very simple. |
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Katchushi means armorsmith in Japanese. So, the definition of Katchushi-Tsuba is tsuba made
by armorsmiths.
There are many Ume or Sakura
flower openwork on this kind of tsuba. These openwork
look similar to ears of the masks of Katchu (=armor). This is why
elderly Japanese people refer to this kind of tsuba as "Katchushi-Tsuba".
Makers of Katchushi-Tsuba are smiths (including armorsmith) who made their living by
some type of forging. |
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The style of Onin-Tsuba is descended from
Katchushi-Tsuba and are similar to Kamakura-Tsuba. That
is, the metal is iron and appears to be
hammered. The special feature of Onin-Tsuba is that one or all of the
periphery of Seppa-Dai, Kougai-Bitsu, or
Kozuka-Bitsu is inlaid with brass.
This kind of tsuba
dates back to the time of the War of Onin (1467 - 1477).
We call this kind of tsuba "Onin-Tsuba". |
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Some features of Heianjo-Shiki Shinchu-Zogan
Tsuba are similar to those of Onin-Tsuba. Heianjo-Shiki
Shinchu-Zogan Tsuba were produced during the time from
the latter part of the Muromachi period to the beginning
of the Edo period. |
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This kind of tsuba is descended from
Heianjo-Shiki Zogan Tsuba. We can find the same
inscription "Yoshiro" on some of these tsuba.
Its style is made of iron,
round shape, and arabesques, flowers or crests are
expressed by inlay and openwork
techniques. |
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The name "Kamakura-Tsuba" came from it's
carving style which is very similar to the Japanese wood
engraving folkcraft "Kamakura-Bori". It has nothing to do with
the Kamakura period (1192 -1333) or the place
Kamakura. |
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It's generally believed that Kanayama-Tsuba
were produced in the areas around Owari Province and Mino
Province. The time Kanayama-Tsuba began to be produced
dates back to the middle part of the Muromachi period. Largest
production period was during the Sengoku period (=the Age of Civil
Wars). At the time of the Edo period, Kanayama-Tsuba
assimilated into Owari-Zukashi-Tsuba and lost its
originality. |
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Kyo-Sukashi-Tsuba is openwork tsuba that are
produced centering around Yamashiro Province (=Now Kyoto
Prefecture). Kyo-Sukashi-Tsuba are elegant and exquisite
compared with Owari-Sukashi-Tsuba that is well-rounded and
masculine. |
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The best of openwork tsuba are
Owari-Sukashi and Kyo-Sukashi. Owari-Sukashi-Tsuba were
produced around Owari Province (=Now Aichi Prefecture)
from the latter part of the Muromachi period, through the
Momoyama period, to the beginning of the Edo period. The
feature of this kind of tsuba is thicker and more
powerful than Kyo-Sukashi because usefulness in fighting
was regarded as the most important matter. |
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It's generally believed that "Tadamasa", the
beginner of Akasaka-Tsuba, was a tsuba craftsman for
Kyo-Sukashi in Kyoto. He came to Akasaka in Edo and
started making tsuba there. The feature of Akasaka-Tsuba
is round shape, round rim and openworks. |
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It is generally believed that Yamasaka Kichibei
produced battle-gear such as armor helmets or tsuba at Kiyosu
of Owari Province (=Now Aichi Pref.). There is a theory
that he attended to Oda Nobunaga (1534 - 1582). However
it is uncertain whether this theory is true or not. In
both cases, Kichibei is a contemporary of Nobunaga's.
Kichibei inscribed his name "Yamakichibei" for brevity on
tsuba. So, we categorize this kind of tsuba as
"Yamakichi-Tsuba". |
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Kaneie is one of the master craftsmen in
Japan's tsuba history. It is believed that he lived at
Fushimi of Yamashiro Province around the Momoyama period.
Before his time, designs of tsuba were only
architectural and patterned. Kaneie brought in sketchy
and painterly design for the first time. |
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Nobuie was a craftsman equally admired as
Kaneie. Kaneie's elegance and Nobuie's magnificence are
quite contrastive. Nobuie came to Kiyosu of Owari
Province at the invitation of Oda Nobunaga. The designs,
temper of iron plate, and the patterns on the surfaces express
Nobuie's advanced skills. |
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Edo (=Now Tokyo)
was the trend-setting city as it used to be the Japanese capital during the Tokugawa Shogunate
period. Metalsmiths competed with their
skills against each other in this metropolis. Their latest styles were copied by regional
metalsmiths. |
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The father of the Hirata family handed down cloisonne work
to only one of his sons. This family
continued from the founder Hirata Donin ( ? - 1646) to
the 11th head Nariyuki as an official craftsman family
for the Tokugawa Shogunate. |
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The Yokoya school occupies a most important
place in the sword ornament metal-carving world. Yokoya Somin
was born in 1670 at Edo. He created the "Katakiribori"
carving method that looks like painting (by Japanese brush)
and heavily used pictorial engraving. He marked a new
phase in the metal-carving world of which the Goto family
had dominated for a long time. |
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The Yanagawa school was founded by Yanagawa
Naomasa who was a pupil of Yokoya Somin. This school
became famous due to the reputation of master
craftsmen: the founder "Naomasa", "Naomitsu" and "Naoharu".
Craftsmen of this school were good at making Yokoya's
style tsuba. This style is Takabori Iroe on Shakudo Nanako-Ji
ground (=high relief carving and brazing thin golden or
silver sheet on red copper Nanako-Ji
processed metal.) |
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The Ishiguro school is classified as the Yokoya
group by reason that the founder Masatsune studied under
Yanagawa Naomasa and Kato Masatsune. The craftsmen
of this school made more elegant and skilled handiworks
than those of Yokoya's. They were especially good at portraying
birds of prey. |
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The Ohmori school is also classified as the
Yokoya group. Ohmori Hideaki studied under Yokoya Somin
for years and finally broke away from the Yokaya school.
His adopted child "Teruhide", and Teruhide's son
"Hidemitsu" made exquisite works that caused this school
to flourish. |
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The founder of the Yoshioka-Inabanosuke family
"Shigetsugu" came from Kyoto and had an audience with
Tokugawa Ieyasu. Shigetsugu went to Edo at Ieyasu's
invitation and the Yoshioka family was appointed as an
official craftsman for the Tokugawa Shogunate. This
school did not produce any supreme craftsmen, but did
produce many good craftsmen. |
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The Nara is one of the most important schools
ranked with the Yokoya in Japan's metal-carving world.
Several schools were derived from this school. The
founder "Toshiteru" flourished and participated in
setting up the Nikko Toshogu Shrine. His family continued
for 9 generations. Except the head family, this school
produced three supreme craftsmen who are called
"Nara's Big Three". They are Toshinaga, Joi and
Yasuchika. |
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The founder of the Hamano school "Shozui" was
also a pupil of the Nara school. He gained a reputation
equal to the "Nara's Big Three". Craftsmen of the
Hamano school produced neat and vigorous
handiworks. |
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The founder Tsuchiya Yasuchika (1670 - 1744)
was born in Shonai of Dewa Province (=Now Akita
Prefecture). At the age of 34, he went to Edo and studied
with the Nara school. The materials and compositions and
techniques of his works are various, though, all of his
works stir poetical sentiment. |
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The Ito school was initiated by Ito Masanaga at
the former part of the Edo period and continued until the
Meiji Restoration. This school earned a good reputation
for a long time with its splendid and elaborate carving
style. They mostly made round shaped tsuba with iron or
Shakudo metal plate, and were good at making tsuba whose
subjects are flowers and grasses or trees. This school
established bases at Edo and also at Odawara of
Sagami Province. Craftsmen in this school came and went
between the two places and had contact with each
other. |
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The Iwamoto school is one of the major
metalsmith schools in Edo area. They made naturalistic
handicrafts. Iwamoto's 4th head "Ryokan" and the 5th head
"Ryokan" (the same name) attained fame. Furthermore, the
6th head "Konkan" made elegant and smart handiworks which
established his distinguished, original style. |
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Horie
Okinari studied metal-carving under Hamano Shozui
first, though, the master deceased in 1769. Then, Okinari
studied under Ohmori Teruhide. Later, he gained
independence and became an official craftsman for Awa
Domain. His inscriptions are peculiar. Most of them are
inscribed in flowing writing style (Grass hand). |
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Tanaka Kiyotoshi was born in 1804 at Aizu of
Mutsu Province. It is conjectured he studied the Shoami
style metal-carving in his younger days. Later, he
became a pupil of Kohno Haruaki when Haruaki lived in the
Tohoku area. He was given one word of his master's name
"Aki", and forbidden to be named "Akiyoshi". However, he said
"My master is not one man. Many". He brought in
other carving styles from other schools. His works and
skills earned the highest reputation at the end of the
samurai period. |
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The Umetada family successively served as a
purveyer to the Ashikaga Shogun family. They located a
workshop at Kyoto and engaged in polishing sword blades
or producing Habaki, Seppa and other sword parts. "Myoju"
(1558 - 1631) produced tsuba which were inlaid with color
metals on brass or on red copper. Those types of tsuba
were innovative so that the Umetada school was in its
glory from the Momoyama period to the early part of the
Edo period. |
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"Ami" means aides who served Ashikaga Shogun.
"Shoami " must be one of them. It is generally believed
that the Shoami school arose at the end of the Muromachi
period. This school spread and flourished all over Japan
during the Edo period. Craftsmen who belonged to this
school mostly inscribed "Shoami" and "their name". |
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Ichinomiya Nagatsune (1721 - 1786) was born in
Tsuruga of Echizen Province (=Now Fukui Pref.). At the
age of 13, he set out becoming a metal craftsman, then,
became a pupil of Yasui Takanaga in Kyoto. He went
independent at the age of 30. He prefered Shakudo (red
copper) and Shibuichi (alloy of copper and silver)
metals. Takabori Iroe (high relief carving and
brazing inlay) or Katakiribori Zogan are his favorite
techniques. |
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Okamoto Shoraku who goes by the name of
"Genbei", established his shop name "Tetsu-Ya". He
sometimes inscribed "Tetsu-Gen-Do" on his handiworks. He
heavily used tetsu metal (=iron), and was good at
portraying Japanese or Chinese historical characters with
Takabiri (high relief carving) and Iroe (brazing inlay)
techniques. |
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Ohtsuki Mitsuoki (1766 - 1834) went to Edo at
the ago of 20, studied painting with Ganku and
was influenced by the Maruyama school's painting
style. He drew rough designs for his metal handiworks
and produced many masterworks with sophisticated
and sound carving methods. In his old age, he produced
novel and homorous handiworks which make us feel Zen
spirits. |
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Akita in Dewa Province (=Now Akita Pref.) was a
castle town of Satake Domain which yields 206 thousand
koku of rice. The old name of Akita is Kubota. Craftsmen
belonged to the Shoami school which flourished here.
Shoami Denbei (1651 - 1727) is especially famous. He
mainly used Shakudo and Shibuichi alloy metals, and
produced many bold and artistic tsuba of which geometric
curving lines are interlaced. |
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Shonai is now Tsuruoka city of Yamagata
Prefecture. This city was a castle town of Sakai Domain
which yields 140 thousand koku of rice. Sato Yoshihisa
went to Edo and studied metal-carving techniques with the Nara
school. After coming back to Shonai, he fostered eminent
Tsuchiya Yasuchika (son in law), Watanabe Arichika and
Ando Yoshitoki. Katsurano Sekibun went to Edo
when he was young and studied metal-carving techniques with
the Hamano school. He became an official craftsman for
Sakai Domain. |
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Sendai was a castle town of Date Domain which
yields 620 thousand koku of rice. From the time of Date
Masamune who founded this domain, people in this town
retained high interest in cultures and arts. Kusakari
Kiyosada was born in Sendai, and went to Edo to study
metal-carving with the Ohmori school. He then, became an
official craftsman for Date Domain. The feature of his
works is that fans or flax ornaments are
expressed innovatively in the Sendai style inlay. |
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Aizu in Mutsu Province was a castle town of
Matsudaira Domain which yields 230 thousand koku of rice.
There were many metal craftsmen. Craftsmen of the Shoami
school especially flourished in this place, and people
called them "Aizu Shoami". Shoami Ikko and Shoami
Kanesuke are well-known as excellant craftsmen. In other
schools, Kato Hideaki (the Ishiguro) and Kato Akichika
(the Yanagawa) are relatively famous. In addition, Tanaka
Kiyotoshi went to Edo from Aizu and achieved great
success. |
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Mito was a castle town of Mito Tokugawa Domain
which yields 350 thousand koku of rice. The Mito Tokugawa
is one of the "Three top Tokugawa-related families". Many
craftsmen flourished in this area especially at the
latter part of the Edo period. They used a variety
of metals and made full use of all carving and inlay
techniques. Both the Sekijyoken group and the Ichiyanagi
group have conspicuous presences in point of skills. |
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Fukui in Echinzen Province (=Now Fukui Pref.)
prospered as a castle town of Matsudaira Domain which
yields 300 thousand koku of rice. The Kinai, the Myochin
and the Akao schools are famous in this area. |
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Kanazawa of Kaga Province (=Now Ishikawa Pref.)
was a castle town of Kaga Domain which yields one million
koku of rice. This area developed a brilliant culture. In
reference to tsuba, elegant ones were produced more than
powerful ones. The Maeda daimyo family invited the Goto's
men (Kenjo, Teijo, Etsujo, Enjo) and provided
houses and lots for them. Therefore, this group prospered
in this area and people named them "Kaga Goto". |
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Mino (=Now Gifu pref.) is a key junction of
traffic since early times. Being far from Kyoto, was the reason for
metal-carving to develop well in this region. Tsuba were categorized
as "Ko-Mino" being made before the Momoyama period
(1573 - 1600), and categorized as "Minobori" which were
made after that period. The features of Minobori are that
(1) Shakudo or Yamagane (=coarse copper) is mostly used
as ground metal. Iron is seldom used. (2) Autumn flowers
are heavily used for design. (3) Regarding tsuba, most
areas are chiseled down except Seppa-Dai and Mimi. |
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Soheishi Soten, an inhabitant of Hikone in Ohmi
Province (=Now Shiga Pref.) mostly produced tsuba. He was
good at expressing Samurai warriors in armor and mountain
hermits by engraving or by inlay on iron ground. |
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Choshu Domain (=Now Yamaguchi Pref.) encouraged
craftsmen to produce tsuba and export them to other provinces for
the sake of securing financial resources. As a result,
Choshu craftsmen produced many tsuba and other pieces of works.
People said "Aizu in the East, Choshu in the West".
Choshu-Tsuba cannot be categorically described in one
phrase because there are many styles in this area.
The families of the Kawachi, Nakai, Okamoto,
Okada, Kaneko, Nakahara, Fujii, Inoue and Yamichi from this domain are
relatively famous. |
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Hizen Province is now Saga Prefecture. This
province was governed separately: Saga area by the
Nabeshima daimyo family (330 koku of rice), Hirato area
by the Matsuura daimyo family, and the Karatsu area by the Doi
and Mizuno daimyo families. The Jakushi family at Saga
and the Yagami school at Yagami are well-known as excellant
tsuba craftsmen. And, in Nagasaki, the largest singular port
opened to overseas trading during the Edo period, a particular style of
tsuba that was influenced by Chinese culture became
fashionable. This style of tsuba is called
"Nanban-Tsuba". |
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Higo Province (=Now Kumamoto Pref.) was
governed by the Hosokawa daimyo family during the Edo
period. Because Hosokawa Tadaoki, the father of Hosokawa
Domain, was not only a great commander in the battlefields
but also good at tea ceremony, Japanese poem and some
other arts, caused the cultural level of this region to be
high even though it was far from Edo or Kyoto. In the
tsuba world, this region produced many master craftsmen.
We categorize their works as "Higo-Tsuba" and tsuba
lovers today praise their works. |
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Satsuma Province (=Now Kagoshima Pref.) which
yields 770 thousand koku of rice was governed by the
Shimazu daimyo family from age to age. This province
produced plenty of tsuba which are powerfully-designed on
iron metal. Naotaka, Naonori and Naokata of the Oda
school are best known as master tsuba craftsmen in this
province. And the Chishiki school occupies the next place
to the Oda. The founder Kanenori, the 2nd head Kanetake
and the 3rd head Kaneatsu are famous in this
school. |