Period:

This school did not appear until after the Genroku era (1688-1704).

Basic Shape:

Round, oval, or mokko.

Seppa-dai:

Unusually thick; from about 4.5mm to 6mm. The shape is a little poor, sometimes irregular in shape. The best are koban shape. The surface is uneven and wavy.

Hitsu-ana:

Most are oval in shape but not of very good design.

Edge:

In the openwork style the edge is round. In the flat plate style the edge is kakumimi koniku.

Design Characteristics:

The openwork tsuba follow the designs of the Edo Kinko, or they show thick nikubori that has a cubistic feeling. The chiseling may be delicate as in the case of the bean and gourd motifs, where the tendrils of the vine are carved as thin as wire. The most common subjects are flowers, birds, soldiers, bean and gourd. It is characteristic for the design of Oda tsuba to circumvent the edge, yet the design will be different on each side. Sometimes small amounts of gold and silver inlay were used.

Plate Metal:

The iron is of very fine quality, rich and lustrous. The temper is good and the hammering shows quality. The color of the plate metal is usually brown. Those with kawagane (surface iron) are highly polished and are similar to the surfaces of Rakuju tsuba.

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