NH-0543 Rank 23
Tsuba · Mogarashi Nyūdō Sōten
藻柄子入道宗典 (Mogarashi Nyūdō Sōten)
Iron tsuba signed by Mogarashi Nyūdō Sōten at the age of seventy, with scholars at leisure in takabori and iroe of gold, silver, shakudō and copper; designated Jūyō Tōsōgu by the NBTHK.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Round iron tsuba signed on the obverse 藻柄子入道宗典 行年七十歳製 (Mogarashi Nyūdō Sōten gyōnen shichijissai sei), "made at the age of seventy", and on the reverse 江州彦根住 (Gōshū Hikone-jū). The paper presents Sōten as the founder of Hikone-bori and stresses the value of the age inscription. The theme, kōshi seiyū-zu (scholars at refined leisure), spreads over both faces: the photographs show sages beside a go board, a stringed instrument, scrolls and books, among flowering plum, pine, bamboo and a willow, with a stream winding through the scene beneath clouds and a golden moon. The carving is fleshy takabori on the iron ground, with zōgan and iroe in gold, silver, shakudō and copper, and kebori on the robes. The rim carries a gold fukurin and both hitsu-ana are filled with shakudō edged in gold. According to the paper it measures 78.5 × 78.5 mm, 3.5 mm thick at the rim. The photographs show an even dark patina, the gold intact on the reliefs and the fukurin free of knocks; the central opening carries copper sekigane. The NBTHK designated it Jūyō Tōsōgu at its 70th session (6 November 2024) and dates it to the mid-Edo period.
Strong points
- Designated Jūyō Tōsōgu by the NBTHK (70th session, 2024)
- Full signature with age inscription: made at seventy
- Work of the founder of Hikone-bori, according to the paper
- Composition across both faces in takabori with zōgan and iroe in several metals
- Gold fukurin and good preservation, per the paper and the photographs
Points to bear in mind
- The central opening carries copper sekigane, customary and with no visible damage.
- The paper notes two generations working under the same name and does not specify which one signed this tsuba.
- The accompanying wooden box shows no expert inscription (hakogaki).
Score breakdown
69.3/100
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 25 of 25 Genuine signature of a first-rank master, confirmed by the paper
- Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- Period 7 of 12 Mid-Edo (1688–1781)
- Paper 8 of 10 NBTHK Jūyō Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 0.3 of 10 Rank 222 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest