Period:

Muromachi and Momoyama ages.

Shape:

Round, oval, mokko, nade kaku, and daen (ovoid). These artists were very skillful in forming the shape of their tsuba.

Ground:

The surface is usually smooth or polished (migaki-ji), but in latter work yakite kusarashi (rotten wood surface) is used, or other artificial surface effects were used. The early work will usually have good niku-oki.

Edge:

Mostly round, but occasionally dote mimi or sukinokoshi mimi.

Thickness:

From 3 millimeters to 5.5 millimeters.

Rim Covers:

We see soft metal tsuba with thin plates of metal held to a central core by a separate rim cover. The thin surface plates are usually decorated with a nanako ground and designs of picturesque subjects. The majority of these plates have had the design applied by its being punched from the back side of the plate. In some cases the metal used for the core will not be the same as that used for the outer plates. The oldest of these date from the Nambokucho to Muromachi age. This is the earliest instance of the use of a rim cover recorded.

Design Characteristics:

Kokuin, kebori, high relief, openwork, and many styles of decoration used by other schools at a later date were developed by the tachi-kanagushi. The later tachi-kanagushi show influence by the ko-kinko to such an extent that the two styles have completely merged in some cases.

Plate Metal:

A variety of metals were used; bronze, yamagane, shinchu, suaka (pure copper), shakudo, and silver are the most common.

Size:

About the same as the Tosho and Katchushi tsuba.

Comments:

The tachi-kanagushi tsuba is made through the collaboration of the two tachi fittings makers. The preparatory worker, called the tachi-shi, collects the material for the base plate, forms the rough shape and does the basic hammer work. The finishing of the surface and the decoration are the work of the tachi-kanagushi. Occasionally each of these artists would make tsuba independently of his co-worker. The work of the tachi fittings maker dates from very ancient times. In this broad meaning the shitogi, aoi, nerikawa and other early soft metal tsuba might be called tachi-kanagushi tsuba.