Tsuba Daigorō‐sukashi (大五郎透) - Ship with three sails

Daigoro Schoool Tsuba.

Motive: Three sails with wind.

Shigeo Fukushi - translated by Markus Sesko said about Daigorō‐sukashi (大五郎透):

"Daigoro tsuba are an offshoot of Kyō‐sukashi‐tsuba. The great iron tsuba expert, Akiyama
Kyūsaku, writes about them: “These are the work of the Kyōto craftsman, Daimonji´ya
Gorōbei (大文字屋五郎兵衛), who was active around An´ei (安永, 1772‐1781).” However,
Ogura says: “Around Bunka (文化, 1804‐1818) and Bunsei (文政, 1818‐1830), there was a
tsuba dealer called Daimonji´ya Gorōbei who had iron maru‐gata‐tsuba with kaku‐mimi and
sukashi made to be sold by him. These tsuba are called Daigorō and can be classified as Kyōsukashi,
although they are a bit more sophisticated.” This leaves us with a discrepancy in the
supposed production time. Judging from the workmanship, I would date them somewhat
before the start of the shinshintō period, i.e. around An´ei as Akiyama suggested. They are
usually a bit larger than Kyō‐sukashi, have a larger seppa‐dai and a somewhat broader kakumimi
ko‐niku, which means we can see a glimpse of Owari in them. Regarding their designs,
they usually do not show the elegance of Heianjō‐sukashi and Kyō‐sukashi. There are works
with just patterns but also some with plants and scenery. The entire interpretation is, as
Ogura said, somewhat more technically sophisticated than that of their supposed
predecessors."

A Ship with three sails is at that time condiered as one of the fastest travelling methods and therefore a symbol of pure power and speed.

Dimension: 78,9 mm x 78,8 mm x 5,0 mm (5,3 mm) 120,8 g

Antique. Original from Japan.