NH-0642 Rank 294
Tsuba · Kyō-kenjō
Iron tsuba with gold nunome showing the 武蔵鐙 (Musashi abumi) theme, stirrups pierced among susuki grass, signed with a gold kaō; NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Iron tsuba of tate-marugata shape with a kaku-mimi ko-niku rim, attributed by its NBTHK paper to 京献上 (Kyō-kenjō), the Kyoto production of iron tsuba decorated with gold inlay. It depicts the poetic theme 武蔵鐙 (Musashi abumi): two stirrups with their straps, opened in kage-sukashi (negative piercing), among the wind-blown susuki grass of the Musashino plain. The grass and seed heads are drawn in fine, even gold nunome that covers almost the entire surface of both faces as well as the edge. On the seppa-dai, beside the central opening, the guard is signed with a 花押 (kaō) inlaid in gold. The photographs show the gold almost complete, with slight rubbing on the high points near the rim, and the iron of the seppa-dai with a stable dark patina, with no visible active rust and no sekigane. Dimensions according to the original seller: 7.3 × 6.9 cm, 0.6 cm thick at the seppa-dai. The paper is an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu certificate, no. 2000896, dated 24 April 2013. It comes with a plain paulownia box without inscription.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (no. 2000896, 2013)
- Fine gold nunome covering both faces and the edge
- Literary theme of the Musashi stirrups in kage-sukashi
- Gold-inlaid kaō signature accepted by the paper
- Well-preserved gold and stable iron
Points to bear in mind
- The kaō does not identify a specific maker: the paper attributes the piece only to the Kyō-kenjō production
- Slight rubbing of the gold near the rim
- The dating comes from the original seller; the paper does not state it
Score breakdown
50.6/100
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 10 of 20 Good 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 8.6 of 10 Rank 33 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest