This iron sukashi tsuba is shaped as a five-petal ume (plum blossom), forged with a well-worked plate that shows both visible tekkotsu along the rim and remaining file-marks, features characteristic of early to mid Akasaka workmanship. The openwork is balanced and organic, and although the piece is unsigned, its style and execution correspond closely to the Akasaka Shodai school.I have seen pieces with this motive been attributed to Ko-Shoami works aswell - the origins of Akasaka. Comes in a Contour fitted box with original Hakogaki of Kanzan Sato.
The accompanying hakogaki by Dr. Kanzan Satō identifies the tsuba as a “five-petal mokkō blossom form, iron plate with openwork and two hitsu-ana, unsigned, attributed to the First-Generation Akasaka, written by Kanzan.” The exterior lid simply reads “flower-shaped tsuba – Akasaka.”
Inside Lid (full inscription)
五つ木瓜花形
鉄地 透 両櫃孔
無銘 赤坂初代
寒山誌
Translation:
“Five-petal mokkō blossom form.
Iron plate, openwork, with two hitsu-ana.
Unsigned; (work of) the First Generation Akasaka.
Written by Kanzan (Kanzan Satō).”
Outside Lid
花形鐔
赤坂
Translation:
"Flower-shaped tsuba – Akasaka.”
Dimension 78,6 mm x 77,5 mm x 6,0 mm (7,5 mm) 95,3 g
