Kantei

NH-0527 Rank 320

Tsuba (daishō pair) · Aizu Shōami

An unsigned daishō pair of iron tsuba showing a rice-planting scene in high relief, inlaid with gold, silver, shakudō and copper. The Tokubetsu Hozon paper attributes them to the Aizu Shōami school.

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

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

An unsigned daishō pair of iron tsuba, attributed by the NBTHK paper to the Aizu Shōami school, the branch of the Shōami lineage that worked in Aizu during the Edo period. Both are tate-marugata (round, slightly elongated vertically) with an inward-turned rim (uchikaeshi-mimi). Together, the two front faces form a single rice-planting landscape (田植風景図, taue fūkei-zu). On the larger guard, farmers under straw hats bend over the paddy, with hills behind and a branch above. On the smaller, one figure works the field and another sits on the bank beside his bundles, with a bird in flight. Both reverses repeat a withered tree beside a winding stream. The photographs show sukidashi takabori carving, with gold inlay for the rice seedlings and foliage, silver faces, shakudō figures and copper trunks. The iron has a dark, stable patina with no visible active rust, and the inlays are intact. Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper no. 2006030, issued in August 2019, covers the pair. According to the original seller, the larger guard measures 85.7 × 79.9 mm and the smaller 77.5 × 71.7 mm, and both come in a paulownia box.

Strong points

  • A complete daishō pair, with a landscape that continues from one tsuba to the other
  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper no. 2006030 (2019) covering both tsuba
  • Sukidashi takabori high relief with gold, silver, shakudō and copper inlay
  • An uncommon rural genre scene with finely detailed figures
  • Sound iron with a dark, stable patina and intact inlays

Points to bear in mind

  • Unsigned: the paper attributes the pair to the Aizu Shōami school, not to a named maker
  • A few small brownish spots on the iron surface and slight wear on the rim
  • The paulownia box is declared by the original seller, who mentions no inscription; it does not appear in the photographs

Score breakdown

49.2/100

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 9 of 25 Attributed to a school only
  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 2.2 of 10 Rank 177 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest