NH-0572 Rank 250
Tsuba · Jingo (Higo)
甚五 (Jingo)
Iron mokkō-shaped tsuba with the tōryūmon theme, the carp climbing the waterfall, unsigned and attributed to Jingo of the Higo school by an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Unsigned tsuba attributed by the NBTHK paper to Jingo, a master of the Higo school (Shimizu line) known for his bold, asymmetric personal style. The original seller presents it as a work of the first generation; the paper does not specify the generation. The iron plate, with a hammered (tsuchime) surface, is of mokkō shape with a fukurin rim. On the front, worked in sukidashi-bori with kebori, a waterfall falls in fine vertical lines from a rock while a carp swims up from the lower corner: the tōryūmon theme, a symbol of advancement and success. The almost empty reverse carries only two small plum blossoms engraved in kebori, the contrast between the faces typical of Jingo. The photographs show a brown-black, somewhat mottled patina with small stable pits and no active rust; the central opening is fitted with copper sekigane. Dimensions according to the original seller: 71.0 × 71.5 mm, 6.0 mm thick. It comes with an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper, no. 2011398, dated 2025, and a cloth-lined wooden box.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper attributing it to Jingo
- Tōryūmon theme: the carp climbing the waterfall
- Asymmetric front and reverse, characteristic of Jingo
- Hammered iron with fukurin rim, mokkō shape
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: attribution by the paper, which does not state the generation
- Mottled patina with small stable pits
- Copper sekigane in the central opening
Score breakdown
53/100
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 15 of 25 Unsigned, attributed by the paper to a master
- Workmanship 10 of 20 Good work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- Period 9 of 12 Early Edo (1615–1688)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 1 of 10 Rank 205 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest