- Tsuba - Higo Nishigaki - Bamboo, wabi sabi

This iron sukashi tsuba in the Higo tradition depicts bamboo rendered in a restrained, asymmetrical composition that strongly reflects a wabi-sabi aesthetic. The design is reduced to its essential forms: irregularly cut bamboo stalks and leaves emerge from the plate with deliberate unevenness, creating a sense of natural growth rather than formal pattern. The iron surface is quiet and subdued, showing soft hammering, subtle file traces, and areas of gentle wear that enhance the feeling of age and understatement. The rim is thin and smoothly worked, framing the composition without drawing attention away from the motif. In its balance of emptiness and form, and in the unpretentious yet confident handling of the iron, the tsuba shows close affinity to works associated with the Nishigaki family, whose Higo guards are known for their austere elegance, naturalistic themes, and deeply contemplative character.

Dimension

69,7 mm x 73,4 mm x 5,2 mm (Seppa) - 4,8 mm (Mimi), 82,7 g