NH-0563 Rank 22
Tsuba · Nobuie
信家 (Nobuie)
Mokkō-shaped iron tsuba signed by Nobuie, its whole surface covered with kikkō hexagons in kebori; NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Iron tsuba signed 信家 (Nobuie), one of the two great masters of the iron tsuba of the Momoyama period, traditionally active in Owari province. The paper titles it 亀甲紋尽図鐔 (kikkō-mon-zukushi-zu tsuba): both faces are entirely covered with concentric kikkō (tortoise-shell) hexagons, each with a small floral motif at its centre, cut in kebori over a hammered iron ground (tsuchime). The shape is mokkō with a folded-over rim (uchikaeshi-mimi), and there is a hitsu-ana beside the central opening. According to the original seller, the signature is of the hanare-mei type and the guard measures 81 × 77 mm, 6 mm thick. In the photographs the iron shows a stable dark patina with no visible active rust, and the engraving remains crisp; copper sekigane are fitted at the top and bottom of the central opening. It comes with an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper dated 2020, recording it as a signed work by Nobuie in tsuchime iron with kebori and a folded rim. It is presented in a cloth-lined wooden box.
Strong points
- Signed by Nobuie, master of the Momoyama iron tsuba
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper (2020) accepting the signature
- Kikkō pattern in kebori covering both faces
- Mokkō shape with folded rim on hammered iron
- Stable dark patina and crisp engraving
Points to bear in mind
- The signature is not clearly legible in the photographs; the reading comes from the paper
- Copper sekigane in the central opening
- The rim is not photographed in close-up
Score breakdown
69.5/100
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 25 of 25 Genuine signature of a first-rank master, confirmed by the paper
- Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable 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 0.5 of 10 Rank 217 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest