Unsigned (mumei) tsuba attributed to the Kanayama school, one of the most admired iron openwork workshops of the Muromachi period. The subject is the large temple bell (tsurigane), a motif particularly sought after in this school and linked in sword-fitting iconography to legends such as that of Benkei and the bell of Mii-dera. The forged iron plate, in aori-gata shape, is worked in ji-sukashi: the ground is cut away and the bell stands in silhouette within the rim, with its loop at the top, the projections along its shoulders and the open mouth below. The photographs show dark iron with clearly visible hammer marks and an irregular rim; the original seller also notes tekkotsu grains on the mimi. Dimensions according to the seller: 70.4 × 68 mm, 4.7 mm thick at the seppa-dai. The photographs show no cracks or knocks; traces of reddish-brown rust can be seen at the edge of the central opening. The original seller declares an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper attributing the piece to Kanayama, and a fitted kiri box; the paper does not appear in the photographs.