Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Round iron tsuba signed by Toshinao of the Nara school of Edo, depicting the Hie Sannō shrine in takabori with gold, copper and silver inlays.
Round iron tsuba signed 武州江戸住奈良利直作 (Bushū Edo-jū Nara Toshinao saku), the work of Toshinao, a craftsman of the Nara school active in Edo. The subject is the shrine of 日吉山王 (Hie Sannō), whose messenger is the monkey: one face shows mountains, a pagoda, pines and a pavilion with a staircase; the other an elevated shrine, a torii, a chequered curtain with a vessel on its stand and a seated monkey beside a golden object. The takabori relief is completed with applied copper, inlaid gold dots and grasses and details in white metal. The photographs show a dark, stable iron patina, with light rubbing on the high points and copper sekigane in the central opening. It measures 73.2 × 71.0 mm, 5.05 mm thick at the seppa-dai, and weighs 137.3 g. The original seller declares an NBTHK 特別保存刀装具 (Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu) paper and a paulownia box; the certificate does not appear in the photographs.
Strong points
- Signed by Toshinao of the Nara school of Edo
- Hie Sannō shrine scene running across both faces
- Takabori in iron with gold, copper and silver inlays
- Tokubetsu Hozon paper declared by the original seller
Points to bear in mind
- The certificate does not appear in the photographs; the paper is as declared by the original seller
- Copper sekigane in the central opening
- Light arc-shaped rubbing mark beside the central opening on the signed face
Score
61.3 / 100
- Maker 19 of 25 Genuine signature of a known maker or school
- Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- Period 7 of 12 Mid-Edo (1688–1781)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 2.3 of 10 Rank 254 of 330 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest
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.
Details
- Type
- Tsuba
- Maker
- Toshinao
- Period
- Mid-Edo (1688–1781)
- Material
- Iron, Copper, Gold, Silver
- Paper
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Signature
- Signed
- School
- Nara
- Inscription
- 武州江戸住奈良利直作 (Bushū Edo-jū Nara Toshinao saku)
- Technique
- Takabori (high relief), Zōgan (inlay), Iroe (coloured inlay)
- Dating
- Mid-Edo period (18th century)