National Treasures & Important Cultural Properties
of National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan

　In the mid-Edo period when Nara Toshinaga (1667 to 1736) actively produced tsuba (handguard), there emerged many craftsmen specialized in outer fittings of swords and metal workers from among common people, in addition to the Goto family, a family of craftsmen retained by the Shogunate. These newly emerged craftsmen produced many unique products by leveraging their freer position. Toshinaga was one the best in the Nara school, the oldest group of layman sword craftsmen in Edo. He was highly recognized in the Edo period and regarded as one of the best three of the Nara school (Nara Sansaku) together with Sugiura Joi and Tsuchiya Yasuchika.
　This is a thick iron tsuba, where a tiger is depicted on a rock in front of a cave. The emerging clouds and roaring waves beneath are represented with sukidashibori and kebori (carving techniques) whereas the cave is depicted via openwork. While overall it features a powerful, three-dimensional style, it also demonstrates delicate techniques as exemplified by the gold/silver inlay applied to the stripes of the tiger and the spray of the waves. There are only several tsuba made by Toshinaga in existence, all of which feature a thick ground and three-dimensional patterns. This tsuba also demonstrates the same characteristics and constitutes Toshinaga's best work.