Ashmolean Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

With the fall of the anti-Tokugawa party in 1615 and the consequent decline of Fushimi as an art-centre, the inlayers of practising there found their livelihood at an end. Many of them accepted the invitation to Mayeda Toshiiye, the powerful daimio of Kaga province, to practise their art in his service. At Kanazawa, the Kaga capital, they founded several schools (Katsuji, Tsuji, Kuninaga, Kuwamura, Midzuno, Koichi) which at first continued the Fushimi style of flat brass, silver or copper inlay on iron, later adding gold and shakudō. In later times the softer metals, such as copper and its alloys, largely replaced iron as a base; designs became freer, the work more showy and of greater delicacy. Engraving, at first confined to details of the inlaid work, now lent its aid to outlining or even supplementing it.

Other schools making a speciality of hira-zōgan are dealt with in [other chapters].

Round tsuba with autumn flowes and insects (EAX.10877)    Mokkō-shaped tsuba with dragonflies over a pond (EAX.10878)    Tsuba depicting scenes from the Tale of Genji (EAX.10879)

Tsuba with ishimatsu, or chequerwork (EAX.10880)    Tsuba with chrysanthemums (EAX.10881)    Tsuba with heraldic cherry blossoms (EAX.10882)