| This tsuba depicts Buddhist prayer beads in nikubori ji-sukashi (three-dimensional openwork carving). Prayer beads are used in Buddhist rituals and symbolize prayer and religious devotion. Tsuba featuring Buddhist prayer beads have a long tradition in the Shonai region of Dewa Province and are said to be associated with the Yamabushi (mountain ascetics) of Mount Haguro. In this example, the beads are carved in three-dimensional relief, creating a well-balanced composition with a bold and powerful appearance. The maker, Akasaka Tadatoki, was a metalworker of the Akasaka school, renowned for its iron openwork tsuba. Signed "Akasaka Tadatoki, resident of Bushu," this is an interesting example combining a design closely associated with the Shonai region with the distinctive techniques of the Akasaka school. Judging from the style of the signature and the inscription on the wooden box by Kanzan sensei, this tsuba is believed to be the work of the fifth-generation Tadatoki, whose dated works from the Bunka era (1804–1818) are known. This tsuba passed the NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tosogu shinsa in 2026. |
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