Ishiguro Masatsune - Tsuba with Fish and Seafood - Walters 51201 - Mark

An assortment of fish appears along the bottom of this tsuba. The largest is the sea bream in gold at the lower right corner. Sea bream are felicitous fish because their name "tai" contains a syllable from Japanese word for auspicious ("medetai"). Near the bream is another fish in copper Above it is an abalone shell in silver alloy. A spiny lobster, which is a sign of longevity, is in a copper and gold alloy on the left. On the reverse are a wasabi root and another fish.