The Mid-Edo Period: Individual Masters Emerge

The 18th century saw individual metalwork masters emerge as distinct artistic personalities beyond school frameworks. The pivotal figure was Yokoya Somin (1664-1751), who after training in Goto family techniques established a revolutionary naturalistic carving style. Where earlier metalwork often used stylized decorative motifs, Somin carved actual flora, fauna, and marine life with unprecedented realism — a naturalistic direction that profoundly influenced Nara kinko and much of late Edo metalwork.

Nara Kinko: The Late Edo Decorative Revolution

Nara kinko metalworkers based in Nara represented the late Edo period's decorative apex. Key figures include Sugiura Joi (c. 1660-1728), the school's pioneer; Nara Toshinaga (1667-1736), whose exquisite realistic carving and rich material combinations appear in major collections worldwide; and Tsuchiya Yasuchika (1670-1744), who incorporated distinctively Western-influenced motifs into Japanese metalwork.

Late Edo Regional Schools

Late Edo period (late 18th to early 19th centuries) saw diverse regional schools competing: Edo kinko metalworkers serving the capital's warrior and merchant classes; Osaka kinko reflecting commercial culture with more decorative sensibilities; and domain-specific schools in Satsuma, Kaga, Sendai, and elsewhere under direct daimyo patronage.

The 1876 Sword Prohibition Law

The Haitorei of 1876 banned public sword-carrying for all but military and police personnel, fundamentally transforming the sword fitting market. Demand for practical tsuba vanished, but aesthetic value was maintained. Many Meiji-period metalworkers redirected their skills toward netsuke, inro, tobacco pouches, and Western-style accessories, while Japanese Japonisme drove massive export of sword fittings to Western collectors — forming the basis of many major international collections.

Conclusion

The Haitorei simultaneously ended one era and began another — the era in which tsuba became purely artistic objects evaluated on aesthetic merit alone. Museum display and connoisseurship-based collecting of tsuba, which we practice today, emerged from this Meiji-period transformation. Understanding this history deepens appreciation of every tsuba we encounter.