NH-0521 Rank 188
Tsuba · Hirata Hikozō (attributed)
彦三 (Hikozō)
Brass mokkō-shaped tsuba with waves in sukidashibori and a large ensō ring, unsigned, attributed by its NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper to Hikozō, founder of the Hirata school of Higo.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Four-lobed mokkō-shaped tsuba in brass (shinchū), unsigned, attributed by its NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper to Hikozō, founder of the Hirata school of Higo, who worked in the early Edo period in the service of the Hosokawa house. A raised ring, in the manner of an ensō circle, encloses the central plate with its two hitsu-ana; around the outer lobes run waves carved in sukidashibori, the ground cut away to leave the design in relief, with bundles of lines evoking moving water. The rim is rounded (maru-mimi). The paper describes it as mokkō-gata, brass, with sukidashibori, sukisage and kōsukibori. The photographs show a warm brown patina, darker in the recesses and golden on the high points, with the soft wear of use on the relief and the rim; no cracks or rust are visible. On the front, around the central opening, there are small fitting marks. According to the original seller it measures 7.35 × 7.11 cm, 0.46 cm thick at the seppa-dai, and weighs 129 g. It comes in a wooden box.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper (2009) attributing it to Hikozō
- Attributed to the founder of the Hirata school of Higo
- Brass with waves in sukidashibori and a raised ensō ring
- Warm, natural brown patina
- Wooden box
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: this is an attribution by the paper, not a signed work
- The dating derives from the attribution and the original seller; the paper does not state it
- Small fitting marks around the central opening and light wear on the relief
Score breakdown
57.1/100
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 15 of 25 Unsigned, attributed by the paper to a master
- Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- Period 9 of 12 Early Edo (1615–1688)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 0.1 of 10 Rank 225 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest