Kantei

NH-0516 Rank 49

Tsuba · Sensai Atsuoki (Ōtsuki school)

仙斎篤興 (Sensai Atsuoki)

Polished iron tsuba signed 仙斎篤興造 (Sensai Atsuoki zō), with a crane and pine in high relief of silver, shakudō and gold, and an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.

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

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Upright oval (tatemarugata) tsuba signed on the reverse 仙斎篤興造 (Sensai Atsuoki zō). Atsuoki was one of the masters of the Ōtsuki school of Kyoto, known for its pictorial carving in high relief. The theme is pine and crane (shōkaku), an emblem of longevity: on the front, a finely feathered silver crane with a shakudō tail and gold beak and legs stands on a rocky shore beneath pine boughs carved in the iron itself, with a gold pine cone and scattered gold dust. On the reverse, chiselled waves with gold spray and two silver cranes in flight. Polished iron ground, worked in sukidashi-takabori, zōgan and iroe, as the paper describes. The photographs show a dark, stable patina with no active rust, complete inlays and white-metal sekigane in the central opening. Dimensions per the original seller: 61.0 × 48.8 mm, 4.6 mm thick, 81 g. Accompanied by NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu certificate no. 2012193 (24 March 2026), which confirms the signature. According to the original seller, the piece was published in a Meiji-period book; the photographs show a copy of that page with rubbings of both faces.

Strong points

  • Signature 仙斎篤興造 (Sensai Atsuoki zō) confirmed by an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper
  • Master of the Ōtsuki school of Kyoto
  • Very finely carved high-relief crane in silver, shakudō and gold
  • Full composition on both faces: pine and crane, waves and cranes in flight
  • Published in the Meiji period according to the original seller, with a copy of the page

Points to bear in mind

  • White-metal sekigane in the central opening, somewhat irregular
  • Small pits in the silver of the flying cranes and light spotting on the iron
  • No dedicated photograph of the rim

Score breakdown

64.6/100

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 25 of 25 Genuine signature of a first-rank master, confirmed by the paper
  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 1.6 of 10 Rank 192 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest