"The hawk-feather crest was favored by samurai families as a symbol of martial valor, as the hawk’s fierceness in hunting and keen intelligence were associated with the qualities of an ideal warrior. This tsuba features an openwork design of five interconnected hawk feathers. The rim is further embellished with the Kuyō-mon (Nine Stars crest) and cherry blossoms rendered in in-yō with gold nunome-zogan, adding a decorative elegance to the piece. Judging from the workmanship and the sekigane fitted to the hitsu-ana, this tsuba is considered to be a work of the Higo school.
The chiseling around the nakago-ana strongly supports an attribution to the Kamiyoshi family, based on characteristic tool marks unique to the work of small punch marks of 4 at the top and 8 at the bottom of the nakago-ana. Who this family member is is under study." (Long)
7.80cm x 7.40cm x 0.51cm. |
