NH-0611 Rank 166
Tsuba · Shōami Matajirō
正阿弥又次郎 (Shōami Matajirō)
Round shibuichi tsuba with kiri leaves and karakusa tendrils pierced over a lattice ground, signed 正阿弥又次郎 (Shōami Matajirō), with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Marugata tsuba signed 正阿弥又次郎 (Shōami Matajirō), a kinkō of the Shōnai branch of the Shōami school who, according to the original seller, worked in the Kyō-Shōami manner. The signature, chiselled on both sides of the central opening, reads clearly in the photographs. The theme is 桐唐草 (kiri karakusa): two groups of paulownia leaves and flowers pierced on a diagonal, surrounded by ito-sukashi tendrils running across the field. The ground is worked with a lattice of file strokes (kōshi-yasuri) and punch marks, giving a rustic woven effect. The paper describes the metal as shibuichi; the original seller speaks of shakudō. Kaku-mimi ko-niku rim. Dimensions given by the seller: 79.1 × 77.5 mm, 4.2 mm thick, 142 g. The photographs show a dark, even patina with the high points slightly lighter from handling, with no active rust or cracks; the kozuka hitsu-ana is closed with a metal plate and the central opening carries copper sekigane. Accompanied by NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper no. 2011938, dated 18 December 2025, which accepts the signature.
Strong points
- Signed 正阿弥又次郎 (Shōami Matajirō), signature accepted by the paper
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2025)
- Kiri and karakusa openwork in ji-sukashi and ito-sukashi
- Lattice file-work ground with punch marks, evoking woven cloth
- Dark, even patina with no active rust
Points to bear in mind
- The paper gives the metal as shibuichi, not shakudō as stated by the original seller
- The kozuka hitsu-ana is closed with a metal plate
- Copper sekigane in the central opening
- The dating (mid-Edo) is the original seller's; the paper does not state it
Score breakdown
58.2/100
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 19 of 25 Genuine signature of a known maker or school
- Workmanship 10 of 20 Good 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 4.2 of 10 Rank 132 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest