Kantei

NH-0588 Rank 56

Tsuba and fuchi · Haruaki Hōgen

春明 (Haruaki Hōgen)

Matching tsuba and fuchi with a flock of chidori over waves, signed and dated 1839 by Haruaki Hōgen, with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers.

TsubaLate Edo (1781–1868)Late Edo period, 1839 (Tenpō 10)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

A matching tsuba and fuchi depicting a flock of chidori (plovers) flying over waves beneath the moon. Both pieces are signed and dated: 天保己亥大呂 春明法眼 (Tenpō tsuchinoto-i tairo Haruaki Hōgen), followed by the kaō, that is, the twelfth month of Tenpō 10 (1839). Kōno Haruaki, trained according to the original seller under Yanagawa Naoharu and later raised to the honorary rank of hōgen, is one of the great metal carvers of the late Edo period. The tsuba, of mokkō shape, is shakudō with an ishime ground; the waves are worked in sukishita-bori and kebori, the ground is pierced (ji-sukashi), and the plovers are inlaid in gold, silver and copper (zōgan iroe), with a segment of moon along the upper edge. The rim is kaku-mimi ko-niku. The fuchi, of suaka with an ishime ground, repeats the birds in zōgan iroe and carries the signature on its top plate. The photographs show an even black patina on the shakudō and intact gold on the inlays, with no visible knocks or rust. The NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper (no. 2008276, 1 April 2022) certifies the signature and describes both pieces. Dimensions according to the original seller: tsuba 7.1 × 6.7 cm, 0.46 cm thick; fuchi 3.8 × 2.2 cm.

Strong points

  • Signed and dated (1839) on both pieces, accepted by the paper
  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper
  • Work of Haruaki Hōgen, a leading late-Edo metal carver
  • Ishime shakudō with piercing, kebori and gold, silver and copper inlay
  • Tsuba and fuchi conceived as a pair

Points to bear in mind

  • The set comprises tsuba and fuchi only; no kashira
  • The photographs are small and do not show the rim in close-up
  • Dimensions and biographical details according to the original seller

Score breakdown

64.2/100

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 25 of 25 Genuine signature of a first-rank master, confirmed by the paper
  2. Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable 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 1.2 of 10 Rank 201 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest