Jakushi Daisho of Iron Tsuba
The Jakushi school was founded by a member of the Kawamura samurai family in the early Edo period and continued for generations in the Hizen and Higo regions of Kyushu. The school was renowned for its skillful depictions of landscape scenes and dragons, as well as its distinctive use of gold inlay. This daisho pair is notable for its complementary dragon designs—one soaring through clouds, the other descending amid waves—demonstrating the school's mastery of thematic contrast and narrative composition in metalwork.
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Jakushi- 若芝 A Daisho of iron tsuba signed Jakushi, each engraved with a different dragon design. One tsuba depicts a dragon soaring high in the sky amidst clouds, while the other shows a dragon descending to the earth surrounded by rough waves. The designs are contrasting and complementary. Jakushi was a group of tsuba artisans whose founder came from the Kawamura Family, a samurai lineage, and established the school in the early Edo period. The group continued for generations, mainly working in the Hizen and Higo regions. They were known for their skillful depictions of landscape scenes and dragons and their distinctive use of gold inlay. * Size: 6.89×6.53×0.52cm (2.71×2.57x0.20in), 6.99×6.72x0.50cm (2.75×2.65×0.20in) * Weight: 115g (4.06oz) , 122g (4.30oz) * Primary Material: Iron
3 high-resolution detail views — use zoom viewer to inspect hamon, jihada, and metalwork
Jakushi- 若芝
若芝Founded in Nagasaki, Hizen Province, by the painter Kawamura Jakushi (Kizayemon) in the late 17th century, this school represents a sophisticated bridge between Chinese pictorial arts and Japanese *tosogu* [1](https://jameelcentre.ashmolean.org/collection/7/10237/10369), [6](https://www.aoijapan.net/tsuba-jakushi-landscape-of-cove). Drawing from his training under the Chinese Obaku Zen monk Itsunen, the first-generation Jakushi pioneered a "painterly" style that translated *suiboku* (ink wash) aesthetics onto iron grounds through innovative etching and fine chisel work [6](https://www.aoijapan.net/tsuba-jakushi-landscape-of-cove), [9](https://www.samuraimuseum.jp/shop/product/the-one-and-only-tsuba-clock-with-nbthk-certificatet-15/). The school is renowned for its evocative Chinese-style landscapes and powerful "dragon in clouds" (*unryu*) motifs, often enlivened by meticulous *nunome-zogan* (gold overlay) and soft metal incrustations that mimic the texture of precious metal washes [1](https://jameelcentre.ashmolean.org/collection/7/10237/10369), [19](https://www.tsubaotaku.com/_files/ugd/eb3941_48e6ac32d9e942efa1d72c033751e38f.pdf). Spanning eight generations until the late 19th century, Jakushi works are highly prized by collectors for their unique Nagasaki-specific fusion of continental Ming/Qing influence and traditional Japanese metalworking mastery [7](https://www.anticstore.art/88411P), [10](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edo_period).