NH-0531 Rank 68
Tsuba · Hirata Hikozō
彦三 (Hirata Hikozō)
Unsigned yamagane tsuba with the kuyō (nine luminaries) crest pierced through it, designated Jūyō Tōsōgu by the NBTHK in 2020 and attributed to Hirata Hikozō, founder of the Higo Hirata line.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
An unsigned tsuba that the NBTHK paper attributes to Hikozō (彦三 (Hikozō)), founder of the Hirata line, one of the four great metalworking schools of Higo, with roots in the Shōami tradition. According to the paper, the plate is yamagane (山銅 (yamagane)) and has an eight-lobed mokkō shape with deep indentations. Eight perfect circles pierced around the edge form, together with the central opening, the kuyō crest (九曜 (kuyō), 'nine luminaries'). The rim is rounded (maru-mimi); there is a single hitsu-ana filled with lead, and copper sekigane in the central opening. The paper gives 8.0 × 7.6 cm, with a rim thickness of 0.35 cm. The photographs show a dark, even patina with no active rust; the piercings have crisp outlines and the surfaces are softly modelled. The NBTHK designated it Jūyō Tōsōgu (重要刀装具 (Jūyō Tōsōgu)) at its 66th session on 15 December 2020 and dates it to the early Edo period. The setsumei praises the fine modelling and restrained design, both typical of Hikozō. It comes in a wooden box with an inscription signed 松庵 (Shōan) and sealed, and in its silk pouch. According to the original seller, it is published in the Higo Kinkō Taikan and in two other reference works; the photographs reproduce those pages, and one of them records it in the collection of Fujii Manabu.
Strong points
- Designated Jūyō Tōsōgu by the NBTHK (66th session, 2020)
- Attributed to Hirata Hikozō, founder of the Higo Hirata line
- Kuyō (nine luminaries) crest pierced through an eight-lobed mokkō yamagane plate
- Dark, even patina with no active rust
- Box with a signed and sealed inscription, and published literature
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: the authorship is the paper's attribution, not a signature
- Copper sekigane in the central opening and a lead-filled hitsu-ana
- The box describes the metal as oboro-gin, while the paper says yamagane; the paper prevails
- A museum label dates the piece to Momoyama; the Jūyō paper dates it to the early Edo period
Score breakdown
63.3/100
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 8 of 10 NBTHK Jūyō Tōsōgu
- Extras 2 of 5 Adds: box inscribed by an expert (hakogaki)
- Price 0.3 of 10 Rank 221 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest