| The theme of this Tsuba is Hachinoki; Pine Tree, Plum Tree, Cherry Blossom. These three trees in combination refer to a Noh Play. There is a story during the Kamakura Period, a samurai asked to stay at the home of a poor person during a heavy snow storm. The home owner was an old man who welcomed the samurai. But he was so poor he had no wood for the fire. To make the samurai warm, he threw his 3 Bonsai trees (pine, plum, and cherry tree) into the fire. The old man said he as poor but was ready to go to battle if so called. The Samurai was a top-rank Samurai named Houjo Tokiyori, of the Kamakura Bakufu. Later when the old man met the Samurain again in Kamakura, the Samurai was grateful for his kindness and granted the old man land of his own. This Tsuba is Mumei but has been attributed to Nishigaki Kanpei, he was the younger brother of Nishigaki Kanshiro, 2nd generation who lived from 1639 to 1717. The craftsmanship shows the Nishigaki Tradition. It has passed the Tokubetsu Hozon Tosogu. |
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