NH-0551 Rank 207
Tsuba · Kyō-sukashi
Iron openwork tsuba in chrysanthemum form, with linked ginkgo leaves and fine spokes, unsigned and attributed by the NBTHK to the Kyō-sukashi school, with Tokubetsu Hozon papers.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
An unsigned tsuba attributed by its NBTHK paper to the 京透 (Kyō-sukashi) school, the iron openwork tradition that grew up in Kyoto and is valued for its elegance and balance. The paper titles it 菊花銀杏繋透鐔 (kikka ichō tsunagi sukashi tsuba): a guard with a chrysanthemum-flower outline whose outer ring links pierced ginkgo leaves, while an inner ring of fine, regular spokes converges on the seppa-dai. Two rounded hitsu-ana complete the scheme. The photographs show an iron plate with a polished surface (tetsu migaki-ji according to the paper), clean ji-sukashi piercing and a rounded mimi. The patina is dark and stable, with no visible active rust or breaks; the central opening carries copper sekigane at both ends, and one face of the seppa-dai retains fitting marks. The original seller places it between the Momoyama period and early Edo and states 83.9 × 82.05 mm, 4.15 mm thickness at the seppa-dai and 74.7 g, together with a paulownia box with no declared inscription. Paper 特別保存刀装具 (tokubetsu hozon tōsōgu) no. 225316, dated 28 February 2000.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper visible in the photographs (no. 225316)
- Geometric design of chrysanthemum and linked ginkgo leaves, typical of Kyō-sukashi
- Fine, regular piercing with slender, well-balanced spokes
- Iron with a dark, stable patina and no visible breaks
Points to bear in mind
- Mumei: a school attribution, not a named maker
- Copper sekigane in the central opening and fitting marks on one face of the seppa-dai
- The dating comes from the original seller and the style; the paper does not state it
Score breakdown
55.9/100
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 9 of 25 Attributed to a school only
- Workmanship 10 of 20 Good 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 7.9 of 10 Rank 49 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest