Kantei

NH-0553 Rank 349

Tsuba · Kamiyoshi

Pierced iron tsuba in the Miura-sukashi net design, unsigned and attributed by its NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper to the Kamiyoshi school of Higo.

TsubaLate Edo (1781–1868)Late Edo period (19th century)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Unsigned iron tsuba of tate-marugata shape (slightly taller than wide) with a rounded mimi, pierced in ji-sukashi with a continuous lattice imitating a net: the design known as Miura-sukashi (三浦透, Miura-sukashi). The paper attributes it to the Kamiyoshi school (神吉, Kamiyoshi), a Higo workshop that carried on the Hayashi tradition and worked from the late Edo period into early Meiji. The photographs show a net of even, bevelled strands cleanly cut around a solid seppa-dai and the two hitsu-ana, with a uniform rounded rim; four small circular perforations open near the edge. The patina is a stable dark brown with no visible active rust, and a few faint superficial reddish spots on the seppa-dai. According to the original seller it measures 7.90 × 7.38 cm, 0.56 cm thick at the seppa-dai, and weighs 99.6 g. It comes with an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper, no. 2010159, dated 10 October 2023, and is presented in an uninscribed wooden box.

Strong points

  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2023)
  • Classic Miura-sukashi net design in full openwork
  • Kamiyoshi school, heirs to the Hayashi tradition of Higo
  • Even, cleanly cut lattice and uniform rounded rim
  • Stable iron patina, no visible cracks or broken strands

Points to bear in mind

  • Unsigned: attributed to the school, not to a specific master
  • Faint superficial reddish spots on the seppa-dai
  • The period is inferred from the school; the paper gives no date for the piece

Score breakdown

47.2/100

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.

  1. Maker 9 of 25 Attributed to a school only
  2. Workmanship 10 of 20 Good work
  3. Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
  4. Period 5 of 12 Late Edo (1781–1868)
  5. Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
  6. Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
  7. Price 5.2 of 10 Rank 110 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest