NH-0577 Rank 361
Tsuba · Hayashi school
Iron tsuba of chrysanthemum outline, pierced with samurai family crests (bukan-sukashi) and attributed by the paper to the Hayashi school of Higo, with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Unsigned tsuba attributed by the NBTHK paper to the 林 (Hayashi) school, one of the four great lineages of Higo metalwork alongside the Hirata, Nishigaki and Shimizu. The outline is chrysanthemum-shaped (kikka-gata) and each lobe encloses a family crest in ji-sukashi openwork: the bukan-sukashi theme, inspired by the heraldic registers of samurai houses. The photographs show iron with a polished surface, fine kebori details on the crests and a rounded rim (maru-mimi). According to the original seller it measures 7.76 × 7.47 cm, 0.52 cm thick at the centre, and weighs 122 g. The patina is a stable dark brown, with the granular texture of the iron visible and a few spots of old rust, with no noticeable cracks or knocks on the front, back or edge. It comes in a paulownia box with a lined frame. The Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper, no. 2011951, dated December 2025, describes it as 武鑑透鐔 (bukan-sukashi tsuba), 無銘 林 (mumei Hayashi), 菊花形 鉄磨地 地透毛彫 丸耳 (kikka-gata tetsu migaki-ji ji-sukashi kebori maru-mimi).
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper, visible in the photographs
- Hayashi school of Higo, renowned for its pierced iron tsuba
- Bukan-sukashi theme: a samurai crest in each lobe of the chrysanthemum
- Polished iron with a dark brown patina and fine kebori
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: the paper attributes it to the Hayashi school, not to a specific master
- The paper does not date the piece; the original seller states Edo period and the late dating is stylistic
- A few spots of old, stable rust on the iron surface
Score breakdown
45.7/100
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 9 of 25 Attributed to a school only
- Workmanship 10 of 20 Good work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- Period 5 of 12 Late Edo (1781–1868)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 3.7 of 10 Rank 143 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest