NH-0481 Rank 340
Tsuba · Akao Yoshitsugu (attributed)
赤尾吉次 (Akao Yoshitsugu)
Round pierced shakudō tsuba with aoi leaves in relief and gold accents, unsigned and attributed by the NBTHK to Akao Yoshitsugu, with Tokubetsu Hozon papers.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
An unsigned tsuba which the NBTHK paper attributes to Akao Yoshitsugu, founder of the Akao school of Echizen province. The paper describes it as 葵葉透鐔 (aoi-ba sukashi tsuba): a slightly upright round guard (tate-marugata) in shakudō, with a design of aoi leaves and stems pierced between the rim and the seppa-dai. The photographs show the leaves modelled in relief (nikubori), with chiselled veins and a textured surface on the obverse and incised line veins on the reverse, small flat gold inlays and raised dewdrops. The rim is square and gently rounded (kaku-mimi ko-niku). According to the original seller it measures about 7.62 × 7.35 cm, 0.48 cm thick. The dark patina is largely preserved; there is some rubbing on the lower rim of both faces and fine scratches on the seppa-dai, with no cracks or knocks. It comes with 特別保存刀装具 (Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu) paper no. 2000178, issued in 2012.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper visible in the photographs
- Attributed by the paper to Akao Yoshitsugu, founder of the Akao school
- Aoi leaves in nikubori with openwork and gold hira-zōgan accents
- Shakudō with largely preserved dark patina
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: the authorship is an attribution by the paper
- Rubbing on the lower rim and fine scratches on the seppa-dai
- The paper gives no date of manufacture; the period is inferred from style
Score breakdown
47.9/100
The score shares out 100 points: Maker 25 · Workmanship 20 · Condition 18 · Period 12 · Paper 10 · Extras 5 · Price 10. It is computed from the record, not from an opinion. Maker, workmanship, condition and period are judged from the photographs and the paper; price is compared only with fittings of the same type.
- Maker 9 of 25 Attributed to a school only
- Workmanship 10 of 20 Good work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- Period 7 of 12 Mid-Edo (1688–1781)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 3.9 of 10 Rank 139 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest