Yasutsugu Tsuba – Very Rare Japanese Sword Tsuba by the 11th Generation Swordsmith Yasutsugu

Description

This is a very rare tsuba by the 11th generation swordsmith Yasutsugu. The Yasutsugu lineage of sword smiths goes back to the first generation, Ichizaemon, from the sixteenth century. His place of birth was in Shimosaka of Shigagun in the province of Omi. Yasutsugu was born into a sword making family headed by his father, Hironaga, who was reputed to be the last descendent of Yamato no Kuni Senjuin. This tsuba was, I believe, made by the 11th generation smith by this name. He worked in Edo around the 1850's. This tsuba is most unusual in that it contains designs done in shippo or cloisonne such as one would find on the work of the Hirata school. This is the only example of this type of work done by this sword smith that I have ever come across. It is in excellent condition with no losses to the cloisonne. There are also designs done in simple gold wire. The shape of this tsuba is also unusual and it measures 3 inches or 7.8 cm by 2 7/8 inches or 7.3 cm.
This is a very unusual and rare tsuba to add to your collection.