NH-0637 Rank 280
Tsuba · Satsuma
Unsigned iron tsuba attributed by the NBTHK to the Satsuma school, with a gold tiger beside a waterfall and bamboo; Tokubetsu Hozon paper.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Iron tsuba of tate-marugata form (a slightly elongated round), mumei and attributed by its NBTHK paper to the Satsuma school. The front shows a waterfall tumbling between rocks carved in recessed relief, with a gold tiger in high relief creeping forward, tail raised; its fur is rendered in fine kebori lines. Bamboo leaves and two small insects in gold complete the scene, and flecks of gold are scattered over the rocky ground. On the back the composition continues with bamboo stems in iron relief, gold leaves and a rock dotted with gold. The paper describes the piece as polished iron with sukidashi takabori carving, inlay and iroe, and a squared, slightly rounded rim. According to the original seller it measures 74.2 × 71.6 mm and is 4.6 mm thick. The photographs show a dark, stable iron patina with no active rust and the gold intact. It holds an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper from 2022 and comes in a plain, uninscribed kiri-wood box.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2022)
- Gold tiger in high relief with kebori fur
- Composition carried across both faces: waterfall, rocks and bamboo
- Dark, stable iron patina; gold intact
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: attributed to the Satsuma school, not to a named maker
- No photograph of the rim
- The dating comes from the original seller and the style; the paper does not state it
Score breakdown
51.4/100
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.
- Maker 9 of 25 Attributed to a school only
- Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable 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 4.4 of 10 Rank 129 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest