Iron tsuba of round form with brown patina decorated with the design of a Buddhist temple bell (tsurigane) in openwork (sukashi), with details outlined in brass wire (sen-zōgan), the outer ring decorated with two rows of brass dots (ten-zōgan), and the bell details carved in sukidashi-bori as on kamakura-bori pieces.
Ōnin school. Unsigned.
Late Muromachi period, 16th century.
Dimensions: 88.8 x 88.3 x 3.0 mm.
As per Merrily Baird, two legends are usually associated with the image of tsurigane, a large, suspended Buddhist bell: one is that of Dojo Temple (Dojo-ji), and the other is of Benkei stealing the tsurigane of Miidera Temple. Interestingly, this type of bell (tsurigane) is not described as a family crest (mon), while suzu and hansho bells are.
Additional Information
| Collection | Japanese swords & fittings |
|---|---|
| Type / Purpose | Tsuba |
| Country | Japan |
| Period | 16 AD , Muromachi period [室町時代] (1336–1573) |
| School | Ōnin School |
| Material | Brass , Iron |
| Media/Technique | Ko-sukashi (small cut-outs) , Sen-zōgan , Sukashi , Sukidashi-bori , Ten-zōgan , Zōgan |
| Subject | Buddhist temple bell (tsurigane) |
| Acquisition year | 2018 |
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