SAOTOME - TEMBO TSUBA

The Saotome were a well known school of armor makers (katchushi) originating in the late Muromachi Period and working well into the late Edo Period. They also made many variety of tsuba (Note: some scholars feel the Saotome tsuba makers branched off from the armor makers, possibly in the early Edo Period). Many of the Saotome tsuba are of the kiku and kiku sukashi styles (see daisho tsuba for examples). They also did sukashi tsuba with various designs including mushrooms, clouds and those with somewhat abstract sukashi. Their plates are well forged, mostly folded plates in katchushi style commonly with uchikaeshi mimi (raised and/or folded rims). Ten zogan (brass or silver dot inlays) are also seen as are acid relief designs of fans, dragons and Buddhist symbols similar to the technique used by the Hoan School. Other schools of tsuba makers used Saotome plates as the basis of their works, including Nara and Shoami. The Saotome kiku sukashi plate was the used as the starting point for weaving brass and copper wire to form the Shingen style tsuba. The Saotome also originated the use of kokuin (hot stamps) on their plates, the so called tembo style. The Saotome kokuin technique was also used by the Hoan, Heianjo, Shoami and Tembo schools and possibly others as well.

The first master of the Saotome school was Nobuyasu of Shimotsuke. Nobuyasu moved to Odawara in Sagami were the Saotome school itself was founded. Some of the early Saotome makers were Nobuyasu, Iyenori, Iyetsugu, Iyetada and Iyesada although there is some disagreement on the lineage of the school. There were many other generations working well into the late Edo period. The Saotome School gave rise to the Tembo School of tsubako.

The Tembo School (also spelled Tempo, Tenpo or Tenbo) also worked well into the Edo Period. They are most noted for the use of kokuin (hot stamps) on their plates, although not all Tembo School tsuba are of the hot stamped style. Tembo School plates, to my eye, are not as well forged as those of the Saotome School. Saotome and Tembo tsuba are also often found with brass encrustation (see below) or gomoku zogan (see daisho tsuba for examples). It is often difficult to distinguish between Saotome tembo tsuba and Tembo School tsuba. It is not uncommon to see them all simply referred to as Saotome Tembo tsuba. Signed tsuba of the Saotome or Tembo schools are known, but are somewhat rare. Known signatures of Saotome makers include: Shimotsuke ju Saotome Nobuyasu, Saotome Iesada, Joshu ju Saotome Iyenori. Some known Tembo School mei are: Tembo, Yamashiro ju Tembo, Sanada Tembo and variations of those.

REFERENCES:
Tsuba: An Aesthetic Study by Torigoye and Haynes
Nihon To Koza: Kodogu, Part 1 translated by Harry Afu Watson
Tsuba: The Art of the Japanese Sword (website) by Jim Gilbert