NH-0506 Rank 222
Tsuba · Kanayama
Unsigned round iron tsuba with an openwork design of overlapping lozenges (kasane-bishi), attributed by the NBTHK to the Kanayama school with Tokubetsu Hozon papers.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Unsigned iron tsuba, attributed by its NBTHK paper to the Kanayama school, one of the most admired iron tsuba traditions of the Muromachi period, traditionally associated with Owari. The motif is 重菱透 (kasane-bishi sukashi): overlapping lozenges pierced in positive silhouette (ji-sukashi) within a round rim, the oval centre joined to the rim at four points. The paper describes it as 丸形 (marugata), 鉄槌目地 (tetsu tsuchime-ji), 地透 (ji-sukashi) and 丸耳 (maru-mimi). According to the original seller it measures 68.5 × 69 mm, 4.7 mm thick, and weighs 67 g. The photographs show dark brownish-black iron with a hammered surface and a granular texture that reads well in the close-ups and along the rim. The patina is dark and stable, with no active rust or visible cracks; there are copper sekigane in the central opening and old chisel marks on the reverse. It comes with an NBTHK 特別保存刀装具 (tokubetsu hozon tōsōgu) paper, no. 2009738, dated 令和五年七月十四日 (Reiwa go-nen shichigatsu jūyokka), i.e. 14 July 2023. The original seller places it in the Muromachi period and mentions a paulownia box.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper (no. 2009738, 2023) attributing it to Kanayama
- Hammered iron (tsuchime-ji) with good texture, typical of the school
- Restrained overlapping-lozenge (kasane-bishi) design in ji-sukashi
- Dark, stable patina with no visible cracks
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: a school attribution, not a named maker
- Copper sekigane in the central opening and chisel marks on the reverse
- The dating comes from the original seller and the style; the paper does not state it
Score breakdown
55.1/100
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 12 of 12 Muromachi or earlier (before 1573)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 6.1 of 10 Rank 89 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest