Kantei

NH-0511 Rank 148

Fuchi-kashira · Sendai-jū Kiyosada

仙臺住 清定 (Sendai-jū Kiyosada)

Polished shakudō fuchi-kashira depicting the Eight Views of Ōmi in fine inlaid gold lines, signed by Kiyosada of Sendai and papered NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon.

Fuchi-kashiraLate Edo (1781–1868)Late Edo periodNBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Fuchi-kashira signed 仙臺住 清定 (Sendai-jū Kiyosada) on the copper plate of the fuchi, the work of a metalsmith active in Sendai. The theme is 近江八景 (Ōmi Hakkei), the Eight Views of Ōmi around Lake Biwa: the kashira shows a pagoda and a temple on the shore, a flight of descending geese, a pine and the waves of the lake; around the fuchi follow returning sails, a bridge, the moon among clouds and a castle on stone ramparts. The ground is polished shakudō and the landscape is drawn in inlaid gold lines (象嵌, zōgan), with a gilt rim on the fuchi. The drawing is clean and well balanced, linear and without relief. The photographs show a blue-black patina with no rust or dents, the gold complete and only slight wear to the gilding on the edges. The NBTHK paper, 特別保存刀装具 (Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu) no. 2010021 of October 2023, describes the piece as 赤銅磨地 象嵌 (shakudō migaki-ji zōgan) and accepts the signature.

Strong points

  • Legible signature of Kiyosada of Sendai, accepted by the paper
  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper issued in 2023
  • Classic Eight Views of Ōmi theme in gold on polished shakudō
  • Patina and gold well preserved

Points to bear in mind

  • Kiyosada is a regional artist, not a first-rank master
  • Neither signature nor paper gives a date; the period is inferred from style
  • Slight wear to the gilding on the edges of fuchi and kashira

Score breakdown

58.9/100

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 10 of 20 Good 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 6.9 of 10 Rank 9 of 27 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest