| A finely forged iron tsuba skillfully pierced in openwork with an inventive composition based on the traditional Tsurumaru (crane-in-a-circle) design, enriched with plum branches and leaves with a single blossom, graceful bamboo leaves, and a closed folding fan. These various motifs are ingeniously combined into a harmonious openwork design of the crane, plum, bamboo, and fan, all traditional symbols of good fortune. The workmanship also calls to mind Akasaka or Tosa Myochin. However, the powerful character of the iron and skillful openwork, together with the interesting presence of numerous elongated adjustment chisel marks regularly applied around the nakago-ana, strongly suggest the possibility of Higo workmanship despite the absence of a signature. An attractive tsuba centered on the crane, a symbol of longevity, and skillfully incorporating other auspicious motifs, elegantly expressed through the harmonious combination of powerful iron and intricate openwork. |
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