A marvelous utsushi of the famous kokuho Matashichii of broken fans and cherry blossoms, by  Funakoshi Shummin.  This is a precise copy, right down to the hammer marks. Great gold work on an excellent black iron plate.  This  tsuba was made for The Geater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere displays which traveled the nation in the 1930's. This utsushi is so good, that the gold work on the rim, which never illustrated in books, was lacquered over to prevent it from being mistaken for the National Treasure Matashichi.  8.39 cm x 8.324 cm x 4.48 mm.  Double boxed                                        

Haynes 0.8835.0.   Funekoshi family, working in Tokyo.  1868-1940.  A student of the first and second Ikeada Minkoku, and contemporary of the third.  The several members of te Funakoshi family group worked for about one hundred years, 1850 - 1950.