NOBUIE

Author: Mitsuru Ito
A4 format, hardcover with cloth binding, slipcase, 232 pages, text and illustrations in two-color special printing
Limited edition of 500 copies
Price: ¥27,500 → ¥26,000 (until December 31, 2025)

 

Photographic Plates
A total of 173 Nobuie tsuba are illustrated, including both celebrated masterpieces and newly discovered works.

 

For printing, we selected New Satin Kinfuji by Oji paper, the finest paper available for high-quality art reproduction.

 

From the Author:

Nobuie is one of the most representative tsuba artisan, ranked alongside Kaneie and Umetada Myōjū as the “Sansaku” (three great masters). I have been engaged in research on Nobuie, and the collection of Hanare-mei and Futoji-mei Nobuie for this purpose has extended over 38 years.

Among the most famous references is the Nakamura Kakudayū Nobuie Tsubashū published in 1926 with annotations by Akiyama Kyūsaku Ou. However, Nobuie had already been recognized as a master artisan in Edo-period works such as the Tōban Shōkan Kōketsu (Tōban Zulu). Later, the series of articles titled A New Study of Nobuie by Katsuya Shunichi, published in issues 52 through 59 of Token Bijutsu (1958–59), represented a decisive contribution to Nobuie scholarship, one that continues to underpin current understanding.

More recently, a tsuba bearing the signature Sanshū Nobuie (三州信家) was discovered. Until then, only works inscribed San Nobuie (三 信家) were known, and I had interpreted “San” to mean “Third-generation Nobuie” (三代目信家). The new discovery revealed, however, that “San” (三) referred instead to “Mikawa” (三河). Through subsequent investigation of the relationship between Mikawa and Owari during the late Momoyama and early Edo periods, the larger historical context has come into clearer focus.

The Nakamura Kakudayū Nobuie Tsubashū presents 144 Nobuie oshigata; excluding five duplicates or verso–recto entries, 139 works are introduced. To surpass this standard, I believed it necessary to provide not only more illustrations, but also new perspectives in interpretation.

Thank you to the generous cooperation of many collectors, institutions, and sword dealers, we have now been able to photograph and present 173 tsuba, resulting in what I believe to be a substantially enriched and comprehensive volume.

 

A complete English translation and commentary on Nobuie — now available in softcover.

This comprehensive edition includes every hanare-mei and futoji-mei Nobuie description, along with a substantially expanded commentary and glossary.

 

Translated by: Rei Itoh & Mark Radburn
Format: Softcover, A4 size (29.7 × 21 cm), black & white, 162 pages

Price: ¥17,500 → ¥15,000
(To celebrate the recent release, we are offering a special discount until December 31. Starting next year, the price will return to the regular ¥17,500.)