奈良常重
Nara Tsuneshige Kinko Tsuba

Dimensions: 7 cm x 6.5 cm Mimi 5 mm

A charming kinko tsuba by Sekiguchi Tsuneshige. Tsuneshige was active around mid-Edo times (circa 1775-1800) and was a student of Nara Shigetsugu. He lived in Edo and was originally from the Sekiguchi family. He is rated at the 5th level by Wakayama (Koshu) and is a well-regarded craftsman. His specialty was suaka ji (copper) tsuba with figures from Japanese and Chinese legends. Wakayama states that he placed his mei on the right side of the seppa dai with only two kanji, and liked to make nade-kaku-gata (rounded corner shape) tsuba. This tsuba shows all of Tsuneshige's traits.

The theme shown here is Daruma. The figure of Daruma is made of shakudo and inlaid into the plate. It is 3 mm tall and shows some clever features. Daruma's ear is pierced and there is a free hanging gold earring in the lobe. The eyes are made of a translucent material, perhaps glass, with black pupils underneath. The dragons and wisp on the ura are carved with precision. There are gold as well as shakudo highlights and the work has an ishime ji. A delightful zaimei kinko tsuba in good condition.

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