Kantei

NH-0541 Rank 120

Tsuba · Ko-Shōami

Mokkō-shaped tsuba in suaka copper with a wood-grain arachi ground and lacquered relief chrysanthemum sprays with gold, attributed to the Ko-Shōami school with a Tokubetsu Hozon paper.

TsubaMuromachi or earlier (before 1573)Muromachi period (16th century)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

An unsigned tsuba attributed by its NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper to the Ko-Shōami school, the name given to the early output of the Shōami workshop, active in Kyoto from the Muromachi period. The paper titles the piece edakiku-zu tsuba: a guard with chrysanthemum sprays. It is of four-lobed mokkō shape in red copper (suaka), with an arachi ground of vertical striations evoking bark or wood grain. Around the edge of both faces runs a garland of chrysanthemum branches in black-lacquered takabori, with flowers and leaves in inlaid gold (zōgan and iroe) and small silver dots. One of the two hitsu-ana is closed with a shibuichi plug, and the rim carries an oborogin fukurin. The photographs show a warm, natural patina, well-preserved gold and only light handling wear on the rim and around the central opening. According to the original seller it measures 8.25 × 8.08 cm, 0.42 cm thick at the seppa-dai, and weighs 158 g. It comes in a wooden box with no visible inscription.

Strong points

  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper (1996) attributing it to Ko-Shōami
  • Suaka copper with an arachi ground imitating wood grain
  • Garland of chrysanthemums in lacquered relief with gold and silver inlay
  • Oborogin fukurin and shibuichi plug in the hitsu-ana
  • Natural patina and well-preserved gold

Points to bear in mind

  • Unsigned: a school attribution, not a named maker
  • Dating rests on the Ko-Shōami attribution, which spans Muromachi and Momoyama
  • The outline of the central opening shows notches from old adjustments
  • Handling wear on the rim fukurin

Score breakdown

60/100

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 12 of 12 Muromachi or earlier (before 1573)
  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 6 of 10 Rank 91 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest