Ishiguro Masatsune Tsuba

This Tsuba is an excellent example of the very fine craftmanship we all should be looking for. The charming design and colorful execution is perfectly balanced with the free space of nanako and the antennae make an excellent frame. The nanako is truly excellent and may be called perfect - further underlined by the Nakago artist signing on the Tsuba, something quite rare and special.

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The Tsuba is signed Nanako Nara Hidemasa, kaō (斜子奈良英政 (花押)) and                Tominsai, Ishiguro Masatsune, kaō (東民斎 石黒政常 (花押)). The piece was made in 1867.

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I will add a more detailed analysis soon, however, I want to underline that a piece as this one is an example of truly great tosogu. Such pieces are the ones teaching you what to look for and how the work must look, more than hundreds of mid-quality pieces you may study. Thus I see this Tsuba as a great encouragement for everyone to focus while collecting and study, rather buying one good piece than 10 mediocre or 30 bad ones, something possible on every collecting level, let it be hundreds, thousands or tens of thousands of Euro / Dollars.