I recently acquired this tsuba by Ishiguro Teruaki, one of the last successors of the Ishiguro school and student of Ishiguro Masaaki. Mei says “Ichijuken Katō Teruaki (Hideaki) in the first month of Ansei three (1856), year of the dragon, on a shrine in Kanda.” I have some high-end tsubas in my collection, but seeing this one in-person left me stunned. It’s now my favorite tsuba and I’ve never owned any fitting of this level of craftsmanship so thought I would share:

crane Ishiguro school Ishiguro Teruaki Kato Teruaki mokko waves