Kantei

NH-0488 Rank 100

Tsuba · Ichijōsai Hirotoshi

一乗斎弘寿 (Ichijōsai Hirotoshi)

Polished shibuichi tsuba signed by Ichijōsai Hirotoshi of Mito, showing the poet Lin Bu, his attendant and a crane in takabori and iroe. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper.

TsubaLate Edo (1781–1868)Late Edo period (19th century)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Tate-maru-gata tsuba signed on the seppa-dai 一乗斎弘寿 (Ichijōsai Hirotoshi) with kaō, one of the leading Mito kinkō of the late Edo period. According to the original seller, Hirotoshi, of the Uchikoshi family, trained under Tamagawa Yoshinaga and later in Edo within the Hamano line, and on his return founded the Uchikoshi workshop in Mito. The subject is Lin Bu, the Song-dynasty Chinese poet who lived as a recluse by the West Lake, taking the plum tree as his wife and the crane as his son: on the front he walks beside an attendant carrying a jar, beneath pines and rocks, while a crane flies among clouds above; the back continues the landscape with a stream, bamboo and plum. The ground is polished shibuichi (migaki-ji), with takabori and iroe in gold, silver, shakudō and copper, and water and clouds in kebori. Kaku-mimi ko-niku rim and two hitsu-ana. The photographs show an even patina, intact gold and only light rubbing on the seppa-dai. The 1999 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper confirms the signature. Dimensions stated by the original seller: 6.6 × 6.2 cm. Presented in a paulownia display box.

Strong points

  • Signed 一乗斎弘寿 (Ichijōsai Hirotoshi) with kaō, accepted by the paper
  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper no. 224246 (1999)
  • Literary theme of Lin Bu and the crane in takabori with gold, silver, shakudō and copper iroe
  • Continuous landscape across front and back on polished shibuichi
  • Even patina and intact gold

Points to bear in mind

  • The piece is not dated; the period comes from the original seller's description and the style.
  • Light rubbing and fitting marks on the seppa-dai and around the central opening.

Score breakdown

60.9/100

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.

  1. Maker 19 of 25 Genuine signature of a known maker or school
  2. Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable work
  3. Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
  4. Period 5 of 12 Late Edo (1781–1868)
  5. Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
  6. Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
  7. Price 3.9 of 10 Rank 140 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest