Kantei

NH-0661 Rank 66

Tsuba · Nomura Muneaki

野村宗顕 (Nomura Muneaki)

Round tsuba of polished shakudō with horses beneath pines in high relief, detailed in gold and copper, signed by Nomura Muneaki of Hikone and papered Tokubetsu Hozon by the NBTHK.

TsubaMid-Edo (1688–1781)Mid-Edo period (18th century)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Maru-gata (round) tsuba of shakudō with a polished ground (migaki-ji) and a kaku-mimi rim. The theme is gunba-zu, a herd of horses: two on the front and two on the back, frolicking and grazing by the water beneath pine branches that run across the top and a gnarled trunk descending one side. The carving is sukidashi-takabori, with hair and manes in fine kebori and the water in short strokes; the eyes, bamboo leaves, pine tips and two small plaques are gold, and one rock is copper. The photographs show the signature on either side of the central opening: on the front, Yūmeishi Nomura Muneaki; on the back, Gōshū Hikone-jū (resident of Hikone, Ōmi province). According to the original seller, Muneaki was a pupil of Nomura Kanenori and worked in the style of Sōheishi Munenori. The NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (no. 2008771, 7 October 2022) records the signature without reservation. The carving remains crisp and the black patina is sound, with the coppery tone of the shakudō showing through from handling around the seppa-dai. It comes in a kiri-wood otoshi-bako box.

Strong points

  • Signed on both faces: Yūmeishi Nomura Muneaki / Gōshū Hikone-jū
  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper (2022) recording the signature
  • Four horses in sukidashi-takabori with gold and copper details
  • Polished shakudō ground with a deep black patina

Points to bear in mind

  • Patina worn around the seppa-dai, where the coppery tone of the shakudō shows
  • The dating comes from the original seller and the style; the paper does not state it
  • Small metal nub at the upper edge of the central opening, on the front

Score breakdown

63.3/100

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.

  1. Maker 19 of 25 Genuine signature of a known maker or school
  2. Workmanship 10 of 20 Good work
  3. Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
  4. Period 7 of 12 Mid-Edo (1688–1781)
  5. Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
  6. Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
  7. Price 9.3 of 10 Rank 17 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest