"Gold Inlaid Iron Tsuba.soten. Japan Edo."
Iron tsuba inlaid in nunomé zogan (damascened) of gold of different colors. Japanese work from the Edo period 18°-19° century, the artist's signature should give a precise date of creation. The scene finely cut in iron shows us a medieval fight on a bridge, perhaps that of Uji near Nara. The tsubas of the Soten school style are numerous but most often of low quality, the one presented here is superior, neat carving, well drawn subjects, great thickness giving volume to the characters (see the photo of the horse at an angle) and a circle of incised silver completely surrounding the hilt. In this original japanese box. 
Le Magazine de PROANTIC
TRÉSORS Magazine
Rivista Artiquariato