NH-0552 Rank 288
Tsuba · Awa Shōami (Awa kenjō)
Round iron tsuba with pierced clouds and a phoenix among paulownia and karakusa scrolls in gold nunome-zōgan, of the Awa kenjō type; NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Unsigned (mumei) round tsuba (marugata), attributed by the NBTHK paper to the Awa kenjō type, the 'presentation' tsuba made by the Shōami craftsmen of Awa province under the patronage of the Hachisuka clan. The polished iron plate (migaki-ji) is pierced in silhouette (kage-sukashi) with four clouds that divide the field; between them are a long-plumed phoenix (hōō) and a continuous ground of paulownia (kiri) leaves and flowers with karakusa scrolls, all inlaid in gold over a cross-hatched ground (nunome-zōgan), the plumage detailed with fine engraving (kebori). The hitsu-ana areas are not opened: they retain the cross-hatching of the nunome, outlined in gold. The rim is square and slightly rounded (kaku-mimi ko-niku). According to the original seller it measures 8.5 × 8.5 cm, 0.5 cm thick at the seppa-dai. The photographs show both faces and the rim: the iron has a dark, stable patina with no active rust; the gold survives almost entirely on the faces, with small losses on the phoenix and heavier wear on the rim. The central ana is fitted with copper sekigane. The Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper no. 2012014, dated 24 March 2026, records it as '無銘 阿波献上 (mumei Awa kenjō)'.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2026), photographed and legible.
- Gold nunome-zōgan covering almost the entire field, characteristic of the Awa kenjō type.
- Phoenix with finely engraved (kebori) plumage among paulownia and karakusa.
- Gold well preserved on both faces; iron with a dark, stable patina.
Points to bear in mind
- Mumei: the paper attributes it to the Awa kenjō type, not to an individual maker.
- Wear to the gold on the rim and small localised losses on the phoenix.
- Copper sekigane in the central ana.
Score breakdown
50.9/100
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 5 of 12 Late Edo (1781–1868)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 8.9 of 10 Rank 25 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest