NH-0548 Rank 93
Tsuba · Nishigaki Kanshirō
西垣勘四郎 (Nishigaki Kanshirō)
Openwork iron tsuba with paulownia leaves and blossoms (nagegiri), unsigned, attributed by the NBTHK to Nishigaki Kanshirō and designated Jūyō Tōsōgu at the 66th session.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Iron tsuba of tatemaru aori-gata shape, pierced in jisukashi with the nagegiri motif: paulownia (kiri) leaves at the base and flowering stems rising towards the rim, with the leaf veins in fine kebori and a rounded maru-mimi. The slightly asymmetrical composition, widening towards the bottom, gives the iron a softness typical of the Nishigaki school of Higo. The piece is mumei. The NBTHK Jūyō Tōsōgu paper, dated 15 December 2020 (66th session), attributes it to Kanshirō and places it in the early Edo period; the explanatory sheet identifies him as Nishigaki Kanshirō, born in 1613, pupil of Hirata Hikozō, retained craftsman of the Hosokawa and contemporary of Hayashi Matashichi, and states that the work conveys the elegance of the first-generation Kanshirō. It measures 7.6 × 7.4 cm, with a 0.5 cm rim; according to the paper it has a single hitsu-ana and a shakudō fill in the central opening. The photographs show both faces with a dark, stable iron patina, without active rust or cracks, and the piece is kept in a lined wooden box.
Strong points
- Designated Jūyō Tōsōgu by the NBTHK (66th session, 2020)
- Attributed by the paper to Nishigaki Kanshirō, founder of the Nishigaki school of Higo
- Nagegiri openwork with a soft, asymmetrical composition and kebori veining
- Dark, stable iron patina on both faces
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: the authorship is an attribution by the paper, not a signature
- Shakudō fill in the central opening, normal for a tsuba that was mounted
- The photographs do not include a close-up of the rim edge
Score breakdown
61.4/100
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 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 0.4 of 10 Rank 218 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest