Kantei

NH-0583 Rank 89

Tsuba · Ozawa Yoshiaki

小澤美章 (Ozawa Yoshiaki)

Iron tsuba signed by Ozawa Yoshiaki of the Mito Tamagawa school, depicting a flowering plum tree under the moon in high relief with gold and silver inlay. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.

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

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Iron tsuba of nadekaku-gata shape (a square with rounded corners), signed on the reverse 小澤美章作 (Ozawa Yoshiaki saku). Ozawa Yoshiaki worked within the Mito Tamagawa school. The subject is the one given by the paper, 月下梅樹図 (gekka baiju-zu), a plum tree under the moon: on the obverse the trunk and branches of a blossoming plum rise along the right side, with silver flowers and gold touches, while the smooth, darker upper part of the plate evokes the night sky. On the reverse a stream in relief runs across the lower part with small gold and silver accents. According to the paper the technique is sukidashi takabori with zōgan and iroe. The original seller gives 6.57 × 6.01 cm, 0.58 cm thickness at the seppa-dai and 115 g. The photographs show iron with a dark, stable patina, the inlays in place and no active rust or visible knocks. It is kept in a paulownia box with cushion. It comes with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper no. 221865, dated 28 July 1993, which accepts the signature of Ozawa Yoshiaki.

Strong points

  • Signed 小澤美章作 (Ozawa Yoshiaki saku), signature accepted by the paper
  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (1993)
  • Poetic theme of a blossoming plum tree under the moon
  • High relief in iron with gold and silver inlay
  • Paulownia box with cushion

Points to bear in mind

  • The available photographs are small and do not allow the fine detail of the carving to be assessed
  • The dating comes from the original seller and from style; the piece is not dated

Score breakdown

61.4/100

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 9.4 of 10 Rank 15 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest