NH-0556 Rank 206
Tsuba · Nobukuni
源信国 (Nobukuni)
Iron tsuba with the shikishi (poetry paper) motif, sukidashi-bori relief and gold inlay on the rim; signed Nobukuni and accompanied by an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Iron tsuba of tatemaru shape (round, slightly taller than wide) whose central field represents a large shikishi, the square sheet on which poems were written, with flowers and tendrils in low relief in two opposite corners. The rounded rim carries karakusa scrolls inlaid in gold, set in scattered groups like the gold leaf that decorated such papers. The NBTHK paper describes it as 色紙図鐔 (shikishi-zu tsuba), on 鉄地 (tetsuji, iron ground), with 鋤出彫 (sukidashi-bori) and 象嵌 (zōgan), and records the signature 源信国 (Minamoto no Nobukuni), followed by two characters the paper itself leaves unread and by 作 (saku). The original seller places it in the Tsukushi Nobukuni line, the Kyūshū branch of the Nobukuni school. In the photographs the iron shows a dark, stable patina with the natural texture of the metal and no active red rust; the gold on the rim is preserved. According to the original seller it measures 8.6 × 8.0 cm, is 0.4 cm thick and weighs 198 g. It comes with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper no. 2011863, dated 18 December 2025, and is presented in a wooden box.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2025) accepting the signature
- Poetic shikishi motif, uncommon on iron tsuba
- Gold-inlaid karakusa on the rim, well preserved
- Iron with a dark, stable patina
Points to bear in mind
- The signature cannot be made out in the photographs; it is known from the paper, which leaves two characters unread
- The attribution to the Tsukushi Nobukuni line comes from the original seller; the paper does not state it
- Neither the paper nor the signature gives a date: only the Edo period is stated, by the original seller
Score breakdown
56/100
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 19 of 25 Genuine signature of a known maker or school
- 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 4 of 10 Rank 138 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest