Kantei

NH-0558 Rank 97

Tsuba · Kadono Yukinaga (Hikone-bori)

門野往永 (Kadono Yukinaga)

Round pierced iron tsuba showing an assembly of Taoist immortals in high relief with gold, silver and copper inlay, signed by Kadono Yukinaga and papered Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu.

TsubaMid-Edo (1688–1781)Mid-Edo period (18th century)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Round iron tsuba signed on the front 玄珠子門野往永製 (Genshushi Kadono Yukinaga sei) and on the back 江州彦根住 (Gōshū Hikone-jū). Kadono Yukinaga, known as Genshushi, belonged to the Kadono family of Hikone in Ōmi province and is one of the leading names of Hikone-bori, the figurative carving tradition related to Sōten; the original seller places him around the Kyōhō era. The subject is a gathering of Taoist immortals (gunsen) among pines, rocks and vines: one reads an open book on a lectern, another unrolls a scroll, others lean on staffs. The photographs show iron pierced (sukashi) and carved in high relief, with inlay and colour in gold, silver and red copper on robes, faces and foliage, and a yellow-metal fukurin engraved with fine lines. The iron keeps a dark, stable patina with no visible red rust, and the inlays are complete. The NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper no. 2009439, dated 4 April 2023, describes it as a gunsen sukashi tsuba and records the signature; it is accompanied by an earlier Tokubetsu Kichō Kodōgu certificate of 1979. Dimensions according to the original seller: 73.7 × 72.6 mm, 6.4 mm thick at the seppa-dai, 144 g.

Strong points

  • Signed on both faces, signature accepted without reservation by the Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper
  • Dense composition of nine immortals with individual faces and robes
  • Pierced and high-relief iron with gold, silver and copper inlay
  • Earlier Tokubetsu Kichō Kodōgu certificate (1979)
  • Engraved fukurin around the entire rim

Points to bear in mind

  • The papers give no period: the mid-Edo dating comes from the original seller and from style.
  • The paper does not specify the metal of the fukurin; it appears yellow in the photographs.
  • The original seller declares a kiri wood box, without an expert inscription.

Score breakdown

61.2/100

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 19 of 25 Genuine signature of a known maker or school
  2. Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable work
  3. Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
  4. Period 7 of 12 Mid-Edo (1688–1781)
  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 2.2 of 10 Rank 178 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest