NH-0549 Rank 21
Tsuba · Nobuie
信家 (Nobuie)
Iron aori-gata tsuba signed 信家 (Nobuie), with tsuchime hammering and kebori tortoise-shell motifs; NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
An iron tsuba signed 信家 (Nobuie). Nobuie worked in Owari and, together with Kaneie, is one of the two great masters of the iron tsuba in the Momoyama period. The NBTHK paper accepts the signature without reservation and titles the piece 亀甲紋散図鐔 (kikkō-mon chirashi-zu tsuba), a tsuba with scattered tortoise-shell motifs. It describes it as 障泥形 (aori-gata), of iron with a hammered 鉄槌目地 (tetsu tsuchime-ji) ground, engraved in 毛彫 (kebori) and with a 打返耳 (uchikaeshi-mimi) rim. The photographs show vigorous hammering that gives the surface strong movement and, in contrast, finely engraved kikkō hexagons scattered across both faces. The signature is on the omote face, beside the central opening. According to the original seller, it is a 'futoji-mei' and measures 87 × 82 mm with a thickness of 5.8 mm, an unusual size for the maker. The photographs show a dark, stable iron patina with no active rust or cracks, legible engraving, and copper sekigane in the central opening. The piece comes in a wooden box with its shifuku. It carries NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper no. 2005768, dated 27 August 2019.
Strong points
- Signature 信家 (Nobuie) confirmed by the NBTHK paper
- Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper issued in 2019
- Contrast of tsuchime hammering and kebori kikkō
- Large size: 87 × 82 mm according to the original seller
- Dark, stable iron patina
Points to bear in mind
- The paper gives no period; the Momoyama dating comes from the original seller and from style.
- Copper sekigane in the central opening, usual in tsuba that have been mounted.
- The rim is only seen obliquely in the photographs.
Score breakdown
69.5/100
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 11 of 12 Momoyama (1573–1615)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 0.5 of 10 Rank 216 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest