JAPAN - Iron tsuba maru gata, Edo period, openwork maru bori of a crane, wings spread over the top of the head, the eye inlaid with gilt brass. Unsigned. D. 8.3 cm The shape of this Tsuba evokes the mon (coat of arms) of the Mori clan, who were vassals of Oda Nobunaga and then daimyo under Toyotomi Hideyoshi. They ruled the tsuyama estate for five generations and became viscounts during the Meiji era. Provenance: Former collection of Mr Huu Pham (Galerie Potterat)