NH-0597 Rank 187
Tsuba · Ōnin
Unsigned iron tsuba attributed by its paper to the Ōnin style, with a negative-silhouette gourd openwork and brass inlay in lines and dots. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Round (marugata) iron tsuba, unsigned (mumei), attributed by its NBTHK paper to the 応仁 (Ōnin) style, one of the earliest families of guards decorated with brass inlay. The paper describes it as 瓢透象嵌鐔 (probable reading: hyō-sukashi zōgan tsuba): iron, negative-silhouette openwork (陰透, kage-sukashi) of a gourd, inlay and a rounded rim (丸耳, maru-mimi). The photographs show a large, thin plate — the original seller declares 86.8 × 86.1 mm and 3.6 mm thick — without hitsu-ana, with two joined openings forming the gourd near the rim, outlined in brass wire that continues as a circle around the central field. The outer band is scattered with some four rows of inlaid brass dots, the star motif typical of the style. The iron keeps a dark, stable patina with no visible active rust; a few brass dots are missing, which is normal for a piece of this age. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper, dated December 2025. It comes in a wooden box lined with fabric.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper attributing it to the Ōnin style
- Typical example of the style: thin, large plate without hitsu-ana
- Negative-silhouette gourd openwork outlined in brass
- Some four rows of inlaid brass dots in the outer band
- Dark, stable iron patina
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: a stylistic attribution, not the work of a named maker
- A few brass dots of the inlay are missing
- The paper gives no date; the period is inferred from the attribution and style
- Dimensions are as declared by the original seller
Score breakdown
57.2/100
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.
- Maker 9 of 25 Attributed to a school only
- Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- Period 12 of 12 Muromachi or earlier (before 1573)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 3.2 of 10 Rank 155 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest