Kantei

NH-0566 Rank 201

Tsuba · Shōyōsai Nyoei

松陽斎如英 (Shōyōsai Nyoei)

Iron tsuba signed by Shōyōsai Nyoei of the Mito school, illustrating a renga from the Heike monogatari: a silver crescent moon among clouds and the poem engraved on the reverse. Tokubetsu Hozon paper.

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

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Tsuba of tatemarugata (upright oval) form in polished iron, with a silver fukurin rim. It is signed 松陽斎如英 (Shōyōsai Nyoei), a Mito metalworker whom the original seller places in the late Edo period, within the circle of the Tamagawa family. According to the paper, the subject is a renga from the Heike monogatari. On the front, a slender crescent moon in silver zōgan is partly veiled by clouds worked in sukidashi-bori, with small kebori motifs suggesting birds in flight; on the reverse, the poem is engraved in cursive script in kebori. The original seller identifies it as the exchange between Fujiwara no Yorinaga and Minamoto no Yorimasa ("hototogisu na wo mo kumoi ni aguru kana" / "yumiharizuki no iru ni makasete"), in which the bow-shaped moon alludes to the archer. Two small circular piercings complete the design. The photographs show a dark, stable patina with russet areas, a fukurin with slight irregularities and, on the reverse, a small abraded mark beside one of the hitsu-ana. NBTHK certificate no. 2010758, dated July 2024, classifies it as Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu and records Nyoei's signature.

Strong points

  • Signature of Shōyōsai Nyoei confirmed by NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper (2024)
  • Literary subject from the Heike monogatari, divided between image and poem across both faces
  • Crescent moon in silver zōgan and silver fukurin rim
  • Poem engraved in cursive kebori on the reverse

Points to bear in mind

  • Small abraded mark on the reverse, beside a hitsu-ana
  • Russet areas in the iron patina, stable in the photographs
  • The dating comes from the original seller and the style; neither the piece nor the paper is dated
  • The identification of the poem is supplied by the original seller

Score breakdown

56.3/100

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 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 4.3 of 10 Rank 131 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest