NH-0657 Rank 344
Tsuba · Hayashi school (Higo)
林 (Hayashi)
Pierced iron tsuba showing a crane in its nest, unsigned and attributed by an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper to the Hayashi school of Higo.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Unsigned iron tsuba attributed by the NBTHK paper to 林 (Hayashi), the Higo school which, according to the original seller, was founded by Hayashi Matashichi (born 1605) and carried on by several generations working for Higo-style mountings. The paper titles the piece 巣籠鶴透鐔 (sugomori-zuru sukashi tsuba), a pierced tsuba with a crane in its nest, and describes it as 変り菊花形 (kawari kikka-gata), a chrysanthemum outline, 鉄地 (tetsuji), 地透毛彫 (ji-sukashi kebori) and 丸耳 (maru-mimi). The photographs show the crane, with its long beak and chiselled eye, framed by a rim of pierced petals and facing a stepped mass of branches and clouds. The iron has a granular surface with an even dark patina, and the rounded rim follows the lobed outline. Dimensions declared by the original seller: 7.8 × 7.4 cm, 0.6 cm thick at the seppa-dai. No active rust, knocks or cracks are visible; the central ana carries metal sekigane above and below. It comes in a fitted kiri box lined with fabric, without inscription. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper no. 2006406, dated 10 March 2020.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2020) attributing it to the Hayashi school
- Classic Higo theme: a crane in its nest, in ji-sukashi with kebori
- Chrysanthemum outline (kawari kikka-gata) with a maru-mimi rim
- Iron with a stable dark patina, no visible active rust
- Fitted kiri box
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: the paper attributes it to the Hayashi school, not to a specific master
- The central ana carries metal sekigane, usual in a mounted tsuba
- The dating comes from the original seller; the paper does not state it
Score breakdown
47.6/100
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 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 3.6 of 10 Rank 146 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest