Japan - Sword guard - 1850-1900

Japanese Tsuba – Autumn Grasses and Bell Cricket Design
Signed: 一龍軒義随
Late Edo Period, Japan
With NBTHK Hozon Tosogu Certificate

This is an elegant and finely decorated Japanese tsuba depicting autumn grasses and a bell cricket, a traditional seasonal motif deeply connected with Japanese culture.

The tsuba has a vertical oval form and a dark shakudo surface with very fine nanako texture. According to the accompanying appraisal certificate, the decoration is executed in relief with gold and silver iroe. The autumn plants and small details are carefully worked on both sides, creating a rich and refined composition despite the relatively compact size of the tsuba.

The piece is signed:

一龍軒義随

The storage box also bears an inscription identifying the subject as “Autumn Grasses and Bell Cricket” and recording the signature 一龍軒義随.

The tsuba is accompanied by a Hozon Tosogu appraisal certificate issued by the Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai (NBTHK), dated 28 February 2013.

Certificate No. 4002002.

The certificate identifies and authenticates the tsuba as a preserved Japanese sword fitting worthy of Hozon status.

A separate reference document concerning the artist is also shown in the photographs.


CULTURAL BACKGROUND – THE SOUND OF AUTUMN IN JAPAN

The bell cricket has held a special place in Japanese culture for more than a thousand years. Japanese people traditionally appreciated the voices of autumn insects not simply as sounds of nature, but as an expression of the changing seasons and the fleeting beauty of life.

This sensitivity can already be found in classical Japanese literature.

In The Tale of Genji, written by Murasaki Shikibu in the early 11th century, the thirty-eighth chapter is entitled “Suzumushi” (Bell Cricket).

In this chapter, Hikaru Genji exchanges poems with the Third Princess, who has withdrawn from secular life. Genji replies:

心もて　草の宿りを　厭へども
なほ鈴虫の　声ぞふりせぬ

A poetic English rendering is:

Though by your own will
you have left this worldly dwelling,
still, like the bell cricket,
your beautiful voice remains—
unchanged by the passing years.

The poem illustrates how, even a thousand years ago, the Japanese imagination could find more than simply the sound of an insect in the voice of the bell cricket. Its song could evoke beauty, memory, affection and feelings that remain unchanged with the passing of time.

This appreciation of singing insects continued through the centuries. By the Edo period, ordinary townspeople also enjoyed keeping singing insects in small cages and listening to their voices on autumn evenings.

Seen in this long cultural tradition, the autumn grasses and bell-cricket design of this tsuba represents more than decorative craftsmanship. It evokes not only the visual beauty of autumn grasses but also the imagined sound and atmosphere of a Japanese autumn night.


MEASUREMENTS

Height: approx. 59.3 mm
Width: approx. 48.7 mm
Thickness: approx. 6.7 mm
Weight: approx. 89 g


CONDITION

Good antique condition considering its age.

The tsuba shows natural patina, surface wear, small marks and age-related changes consistent with an antique Japanese sword fitting. The gold- and silver-coloured decorative areas also show some natural wear.

Please examine all photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the description.


INCLUDED IN THE SALE

- Tsuba
- Storage box
- NBTHK Hozon Tosogu appraisal certificate
- Accompanying artist/reference material shown with the object

Small ceramic figures, fabrics and any other items used only as photographic props or backgrounds are not included in the sale.