Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Iron mokkō-shaped tsuba signed by Mitsutaka of Hagi, showing a scene from the kabuki play Narukami: a figure, a dragon among clouds and waves and pierced lightning, with gold eyes.
Iron tsuba of the Chōshū school, signed on either side of the central opening 長州萩住光高作 (Chōshū Hagi-jū Mitsutaka saku). The original seller identifies the maker as Mitsutaka, a craftsman working in Hagi in the second half of the Edo period, and the subject as the play Narukami from the Kabuki Jūhachiban repertoire. The photographs show on the front a wild-haired figure holding a staff, standing on a rock and facing a dragon rising among clouds and waves, with pierced lightning bolts above; the back continues the scene with swirling clouds and waves. The carving is in high relief with fine line engraving on hair, robes and scales, and the eyes of the figure and the dragon are set with dots of inlaid gold. Mokkō shape with a raised rim and no hitsu-ana; according to the original seller it measures 86.6 × 92.6 mm, with a rim thickness of 4.4 mm. The iron keeps a dark, stable patina, with no visible cracks or knocks. The original seller declares an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper, which does not appear in the photographs.
Strong points
- Signed: 長州萩住光高作 (Chōshū Hagi-jū Mitsutaka saku)
- Narrative scene from the kabuki play Narukami, with dragon and pierced lightning
- High-relief carving with fine engraving and inlaid gold eyes
- Tokubetsu Hozon paper declared by the original seller
Points to bear in mind
- The paper does not appear in the photographs; it is stated only by the original seller
- The subject and period come from the listing and the style, not from a date on the piece
- Reddish-brown tones in the recessed ground, apparently stable
Score
58.8 / 100
- Maker 19 of 25 Genuine signature of a known maker or school
- Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- Period 5 of 12 Late Edo (1781–1868)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 1.8 of 10 Rank 271 of 330 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest
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.
Details
- Type
- Tsuba
- Maker
- Mitsutaka
- Period
- Late Edo (1781–1868)
- Material
- Iron, Gold
- Paper
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Signature
- Signed
- School
- Chōshū
- Inscription
- 長州萩住光高作 (Chōshū Hagi-jū Mitsutaka saku)
- Technique
- Sukashi (openwork), Takabori (high relief), Zōgan (inlay), Kebori (line engraving)
- Dating
- Late Edo period (19th century)