The 'Headings' given are the ones that represent the schools, families, and types of tsuba that are to be found in most collections. As a matter of note, nearly all brass inlay tsuba are Heianjo work, a piece may date from 1450 to 1900. In open work tsuba most of the pieces we see are Kyo-sukashi dating from 1700. The other three open work schools are the Owari, Higo, and Akasaka, 90% of all sukashi work will belong to one of these four schools.

Various Headings for 'Organization' used by Collectors

Swordsmith or Armorsmith, Tachikanagu-shi, Kagamishi, Ko-Kinko, Kamakura, Onin, Heianjo (zogan or sukashi), Kyo-sukashi, Owari sukashi, Saga Kaneiye, Later Nobuiye, Myochin, Saotome or Tembo, Umetada, Shoami or other inlay work, Aizu mono, Mito mono, Nagasaki mono, Kinai, Choshu (Hagi) tsuba, Higo (kasuga) tsuba, Jakushi, Kagonami and Kanton, Akasaka, Ito or other Bushu styles, Goto school work, Nara school work, Hamano school work, Tanaka school work, Shippo, Edo Kinko (1700-1900), and Machibori work.

Schools, Families, and Types of Tsuba

IRON PLATE Tsuba
KATCHUSHI (armorsmith tsuba)
TOSHO (swordsmith tsuba)
SAOTOME (armorsmith family) - TEMBO (branch of Saotome family)
KAMAKURA (style of design) - KAMAKURA BORI
ONIN (style of design, in brass inlay)
HEIANJO ZOGAN (brass inlay style, Kyoto)
HEIANJO SUKASHI (style openwork, Kyoto)
HEIANJO or KYO-SUKASHI (openwork, Kyoto)
KOIKE YOSHIRO (brass inlay family)
KAGA ZOGAN (brass and/or other inlay Kaga)
KYO-SUKASHI (Kyoto openwork after 1600)
DAIGORO (Kyoto openwork in late Edo period)
KANEIYE (Momoyama period, two generations)
SAGA KANEIYE (Kaneiye style in Edo period)
NOBUIYE (in Momoyama, two generations)
NOBUIYE (style in Edo period)
MYOCHIN (armorsmith family)
YAMAKICHIBEI (family at Owari province)
OWARI SUKASHI (openwork style at Owari)
HOAN (early family at Owari)
SADAHIRO (two generations at Owari)
NARA KAJI (tsuba smiths at Nara)
KO NARA (old Nara style tsuba)
HAMANO (family of Nara students)
JOI (school style of tsuba)
KANAYAMA (type made at Owari)
YAGYU (design style made at Owari)
YASUCHIKA (six generations at Edo, first at Shonai)
KO-NARA (old Nara style tsuba)
KO-HAGI (Kyo-sukashi school style)
HAMANO (family of Nara students)
SHINGEN (woven wire tsuba style)
MUCADE (centipede design style)

KINKO Tsuba
KAGAMISHI (brass cast mirror maker tsuba)
TACHIKANAGU-SHI (tachi fittings makers)
KO-KINKO (Muromachi/Momoyama period soft metal)

JIDAI-GOTO
GOTO (family main line)
WAKI-GOTO (branch line of family)
MINO GOTO (Goto school at Mino province)
KAGA GOTO (Goto school at Kaga province)
YOKOYA (family of Goto students)
YAMAGAWA (family of Yokoya students)

SHOAMI school Tsuba
KO-SHOAMI (early unsigned Shoami tsuba)
KYO-SHOAMI (Kyoto school)
AWA-SHOAMI (Awa school)
BIZEN-SHOAMI (Bizen school)
AIZU-SHOAMI (Aizu school)
IYO-SHOAMI (Iyo school)
SHONAI-SHOAMI (Shonai school)
HIROSHIMA-SHOAMI (Hiroshima school)
ECHIZEN-SHOAMI (Echizen school)
EDO-SHOAMI (Edo school)
OGAMI (students of Shoami)

HIGO Tsuba
HIRATA HIKOZO (several generations at Higo)
HAYASHI (or KASUGA, 7 generations at Higo)
NISHIGAKI (KANSHIRO, 7 generations at Higo)
JINGO (Shimizu family, 8 generations at Higo)
KAMIYOSHI (3 generations at Higo)
TOYAMA (school at Higo)
MISUNI KOJI (one artist at Higo)
NAKANE HEIHACHIRO (one artist at Higo)
HANICHIBO (priest, artist at Higo)

SHOKOKU Artists
HARUTA (very old armor family)
SURUGA (family at Bizen)
SENDAI (Kiyosada, Zembei, etc.)
HOKORI YOSHIRO (not gomoku-zogan)
SHONAI TSUBA-KO (independants at Shonai)
SEKIBUN (Shonai tsuba school, 2 generations)
KISHU SADANAKA (independant worker at Kii)
FUKUI JIZAEMON (Owari independant)
TODA HIKOZAEMON (Owari independant)
TOKEI (design of clock gears)
SADO TOSHISADA (school of Sado Island)
SADO SANZAEMON (school of Sado Island)
KUNINAGA (independant of Owari)
HORAI (independant school)
TOSA MYOCHIN (worked in Akasaka style)
TANSHU SADAMASA (independant at Tanshu)
HIZEN (zogan style at Hizen)
JAKUSHI (family and school at Nagasaki)
SATSUMA (Oda, and others at Satsuma)
KAZAMA & KUNITOMO (Sahari inlay school)
HIRATA (cloisonne school, 7 generations)
NAMBAN (designs of foreign subjects) KANTON (Chinese subjects, some made in Kanton) KAGONAMI (made in Japan)
KENJO (presentation or gift tsuba)

CHOSHU Family Schools
KAWAJI
NAKAI
OKAMOTO
OKADA
NAKABARA
INOUYE
YAJI (not Hachido)
KANEKO
UMETADA
FUJII

Other Noted SCHOOLS
KIKYOYA (late Kyo-sukashi tsuba)
AKASAKA (openwork school at Edo) AKASAKA KARIGANEYA (founded Akasaka school)
ITO or BUSHU (school at Edo)
SUNAGAWA (school at Edo)
KINAI (8 generations at Echizen)
AKAO (tsuba makers to Daimyo of Echizen)
UMETADA (Kyoto, Edo, Choshu, and Hizen)
UMETADA MYOJU
MITO artists
TAMAGAWA of Mito
ICHIRYU (not Hitotsuyanagi, Mito Kinko)

ARTIST NAMES not listed above
HIRADO KUNISHIGE
MITSUHIRO of HIRADO
KITAGAWA SOTEN school
HIRAGIYA
SUWA of Higo
KUWABATA of SATSUMA
SABURODAIYU of BIZEN
TOCHIBATA style
KUMAGAI (Edo Higo style)
INAGAWA
KIKUCHI
KIKUOKA
TSUJI (very like Otsuki school work)
IWAMOTO KONKWAN, and school
SUZUKI (Iwamoto student)
TSUJI RINSENDO MITSUMASA
OTA (Bushu Ito style)
IWATA NORISUKE I & II (made most of the better copies of the 1st Nobuiye and 2nd Yamakichibei)
NOMURA
KUWAMURA
OZAWA
KIKUGAWA
TAKAHASHI
NUKAGAWA
FURUKAWA
YOSHIOKA
SONOBE
SOMEYA
KATO
ISHIGURO
SHUMMEI HOGEN (not Haruaki, Kono family)
ARAKI TOMEI (independant artist)
TETSUGENDO (Okamoto family, not of Choshu)
SASAYAMA
UCHIKOSHI
TAIZAN (not Oyama) Sekijoken school
HOSONO SHOZAEMON
OTSUKI
MURAKAMI
SAKO
IWAKUNI
ICHINOMITA
KIYOTOSHI (not Kiyonaga) founded Tanaka
TANAKA
GOTO ICHIJO
IMA NAGATAKE
FUKADA IKKIN ( 2 generations, not 3 as thought)
IWAMA MASAYOSHI
KAGIYA KATSUMEI (not Katsuhira)
KANO NATSUO
TAKAHASHI (guri-bori style tsuba)
BAMEN TSUNEMASA
ODAWARA (Bushu Ito school)
KO-GITSUNE