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Here, “Nobuhisa has combined the two metals, silver and shakudo, to give the impression of day and night. The day is represented by a glimpse of the bay of Suruga at Mio-no-Matsubara, the pine-clad point celebrated in both poetry and art. Broken clouds tinged with gold, inlaid in imitation of a type of lacquer called nashiji, float over the bay. Beneath the pines carved from shakudo and copper, two boats are moored near the shore. From this point of land one of the finest views of Fuji may be obtained. The matchless mountain is pictured on the obverse said of the tsuba in relief with an inlay of silver to represent the snow-covered cone. From the dark blue shakudo ground it rises above rolling clouds inlaid in relief of gold, partly represented in the solid metal and partly by the inlay of tiny flakes which sparkle against the dark background. A tossing sea, carved in relief from the shakudo, breaks over the lower part of the tsuba, the waves tossing off golden flecks of foam. At the left, a dragon is boldly emerging from the waves and rising through clouds toward the mountain. This often repeated motive of decoration has been interpreted as suggesting the struggle of the earthly toward the ideal, and again as symbolic of success in life. Seldom has it been presented with more skill than on this tsuba by Nobuhisa. The writhing form of the dragon is sculptured with great care from gold, the scales chiseled so clearly as to appear imbricated and in motion. The flaming appendage above the three-clawed arm is made of red copper, and is a brilliant touch of color against the unusually dark blue shakudo field. On this tsuba the full palette of the nineteenth-century artist in metal work is exposed; the style of the ornamentation is typical of the rich Tokugawa period wherein luxurious excesses engulfed to a very large extent the purer art of the earlier centuries.” (Gunsaulus 1923:161-162)
The Goto school of metal working was established in the late fifteenth century, it continued to be an important group of metal workers until the eighteenth century without becoming known for making tsuba, mainly because the family did not make them except as personal favors or to present to the Daimyo (lord). In the early part of the eighteenth century Goto Tsujo broke with family tradition and began to produce large numbers of tsuba, the family and school soon became well known for their beautiful and well made tsuba. The family/ school is also well known for being the first to use chasing in relief to decorate sword furniture, as well as most likely being the first school to use softer metals and alloys for sword fittings, and perfecting and creating styles of backgrounds for sword furniture (Okabe-Kakuya 1909:35-37, Gunsaulus1923:60-61).
(Commentary by Rob Nalewajk)
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