Kantei

NH-0514 Rank 88

Tsuba · Akasaka-jū Nobuie

信家 (Akasaka-jū Nobuie)

Irregular-shaped iron tsuba with karakusa arabesques in kebori, signed 赤坂住信家 (Akasaka-jū Nobuie), with an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.

TsubaLate Edo (1781–1868)Late Edo period (18th–19th century)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Iron tsuba of irregular outline (kawari-gata) with a turned-back rim (uchikaeshi-mimi); the original seller gives a rim thickness of 0.68 cm. Both faces are covered with a scrolling tendril arabesque (karakusa) cut in kebori, a simple and confident line engraving over a granular, stone-like iron surface. The front bears the chiselled signature on either side of the central opening: 赤坂住信家 (Akasaka-jū Nobuie), "Nobuie, resident of Akasaka". The two hitsu-ana are one oval and one trefoil. The name Nobuie recalls the great master of the Momoyama period, but this piece belongs to the later output of craftsmen who signed with that name during the Edo period; the original seller places it in the late Edo period and links it to a Bushū (Musashi) line of Nobuie. The photographs show a stable, even black-brown patina with no active red rust, cracks or visible knocks, and a thick, rounded edge. The NBTHK paper, number 2009860, dated 10 October 2023, designates it 特別保存刀装具 (Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu) and describes it as a 唐草図鐔 (karakusa-zu tsuba) signed 赤坂住信家 (Akasaka-jū Nobuie), in iron, with kebori and uchikaeshi-mimi.

Strong points

  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper (no. 2009860, 2023) accepting the signature
  • Crisp signature 赤坂住信家 (Akasaka-jū Nobuie) on the front
  • Karakusa arabesque in kebori on both faces
  • Irregular outline with uchikaeshi-mimi and stone-like iron surface
  • Stable dark patina with no visible active rust

Points to bear in mind

  • Not the work of the Momoyama-period master Nobuie, but of a later craftsman who signed with that name in Akasaka.
  • The dating (late Edo) comes from the original seller; the paper does not state it.
  • A couple of small brown spots on the edge, apparently stable.

Score breakdown

61.4/100

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 9.4 of 10 Rank 14 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest