Sword guard with openwork design of Amaryu rain dragon/ HIRATSUKA Collection/Kumamoto prefectural Museum of Art

This square shaped iron sword guard has an openwork design of a dragon and bears an inscription, “神吉 (Kamiyoshi)”. Based on the style of the work and the inscription, it is thought to have been created by Fukanobu (around 1786-1851), the second head of the Kamiyoshi school.
He was regarded as a skilled craftsman with excellent sense of design. This example also shows a unique dragon design in an abstract expression.