Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Round iron tsuba signed 政光 (Masamitsu) with kaō, of the Aizu Shōami school: silver deer beneath autumn maples, in takabori with gold, silver and copper inlay.
Round iron tsuba, signed on the reverse 政光 (Masamitsu) followed by his kaō. Masamitsu worked in Iwashiro province within the Aizu branch of the Shōami school, known for its meticulous, naturalistic relief work. The theme is deer beneath maples in autumn: on the obverse, a pair of silver deer in high relief, their coats rendered in very fine kebori and their spots in copper hira-zōgan, graze under a maple with gold leaves, among gilded dwarf bamboo and mountains veiled by clouds. On the reverse, a deer lies beside a winding stream next to sheaves of straw carved from the iron itself. The photographs show a dark, stable patina with no active rust, complete inlays and slight lightening from handling around the seppa-dai. The original seller states dimensions of 84.5 × 82 mm and 4 mm thickness at the seppa-dai, a paulownia box and an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper, which does not appear in the photographs.
Strong points
- Signed 政光 (Masamitsu) with kaō, Aizu Shōami school
- Silver deer in takabori with very fine kebori fur
- Rich gold, silver and copper inlay on iron
- Composition continuing across obverse and reverse
- Stable original patina and complete inlays
Points to bear in mind
- The Tokubetsu Hozon paper is declared by the original seller and does not appear in the photographs
- Patina lightened by handling around the seppa-dai
- The period comes from the seller's listing and the style; the piece is not dated
Score
61.4 / 100
- Maker 19 of 25 Genuine signature of a known maker or school
- Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- Period 5 of 12 Late Edo (1781–1868)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 4.4 of 10 Rank 185 of 330 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest
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.
Details
- Type
- Tsuba
- Maker
- Masamitsu
- Period
- Late Edo (1781–1868)
- Material
- Iron, Silver, Gold, Copper
- Paper
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Signature
- Signed
- School
- Aizu Shōami
- Inscription
- 政光 花押 (Masamitsu kaō)
- Technique
- Takabori (high relief), Zōgan (inlay), Kebori (line engraving)
- Dating
- Late Edo period (late 18th – 19th century)