Mokkō form iron tsuba carved in relief and inlaid with soft metals (copper, gold, silver) with the design of a cormorant fisherman on the face and a boat on the reverse.
Unsigned.
Dimensions: 77 mm x 69 mm x 3.0 mm (at s
eppa-dai)
Edo period: 18th or 19th century.
"Since Nara period, Japanese fishermen in small boats have used cormorants (
u) to catch river fish at night, binding the necks of the birds so that the fish are not swallowed. [...] The bird and the work it performs are symbols of selfless devotion to one's master and keen eyesight." - from Merrily Baird.
Symbols of Japan. Thematic motifs in art and design. Rizzoli international publications, Inc., 2001; p. 104.
See also in this collection
TSU-0212 and
TSU-0241.