Tsuba Kawari Gata With Skull Decoration - Edo Period - H. 9 Cm.

Wrought iron tsuba (tetsu nikubori tsuba). Pattern: Tête demort (dokuro), herbs and bird. Symbolic: Impermanence, zen meditation on death and nature. School: Shoami (Edo) or independent craftsman influenced by the zen style. Period: Edomoyen/late (circa 1750-1850). The theme of the dokuro (skull) in tsuba estrare but charged with meaning: It represents the transience of life (mujō, 無 常) — Buddhist idea that everything is impermanent. Associated with the desiccated grass (susuki) and the bird, it symbolizes the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. This motif appears in some pieces influenced by the Zen philosophy and the aesthetic movement of wabi-sabi (beauty in imperfection and transience). The skull is carved in high relief (nikubori), not embedded: the material is hollowed and modeled directly in iron. The orbits and nasal cavities are deeply and irregularly dug. The small metal beads around (especially near the grass) are brass inlay points (zōgan), used to evoke dew or accentuate the scene. The brown-black patina is stable and natural, with traces of ancient oxidation, not artificial. Stylistic elements (thick shape, gravuresimple, macabre symbolism) suggest provenance: Most likely Bushū school (武 州) or Shoami school (正 阿 弥) from the middle to late Edo period (ca. 1750–1850). These workshops, notably in Edo and Kyoto, created tsubas on the theme of death or the passage of time, sometimes inspired by prints (ukiyo-e) or by Zen poetry. The rustic and expressive aspect of the iron also recalls some works in the Yagyū style (柳 生 派), but the figurative (not purely abstract) decor is more oriented towards Shoami. Dimensions: 9 x 8.5 cm. weight 102 grs