Kantei

NH-0662 Rank 204

Tsuba · Toshikage (Tōryūsai school)

寿景 (Toshikage)

Nadekaku iron tsuba on the theme of snow, moon and flowers, signed Toshikage, a pupil of Tanaka Kiyotoshi. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper.

TsubaLate Edo (1781–1868)Late Edo to early Meiji period (19th century)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Tsuba signed 壽景 (Toshikage), an artist whom the original seller describes as a pupil of Tanaka Kiyotoshi, founder of the Tōryūsai (東龍斎, Tōryūsai) workshop. The subject is the classic setsugekka (雪月花), snow, moon and flowers: on the front, a moon inlaid in a grey alloy rises over the upper rim and a camellia branch carved in high relief (sukidashi takabori) blooms along the lower edge, with silvery petals and leaves and stamens touched with gold (iroe); on the back, snow-covered ground modelled in relief carries a large inlaid snowflake and small snow blossoms. The plate is iron, of nadekaku shape (rounded corners), with a hammered surface and an uchikaeshi rim. The gilt copper sekigane at both ends of the central opening, known as kuchibeni (口紅, "lipstick"), are a hallmark of the school. According to the original seller it measures 7 × 6.1 cm, 0.4 cm thick at the seppa-dai, and comes in a paulownia box. The photographs show a dark, stable iron patina with no active rust and crisp relief. The NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper, no. 2010611, dated 26 March 2024, accepts the Toshikage signature.

Strong points

  • Signed Toshikage and accepted by an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2024)
  • Setsugekka theme (snow, moon and flowers) spread across front and back
  • Camellia in sukidashi takabori with gold accents and inlays
  • Gilt copper kuchibeni sekigane, a Tōryūsai school signature feature
  • Dark, stable iron patina with no active rust

Points to bear in mind

  • Undated: the period is inferred from the school, the style and the original seller's description
  • Area of rough texture at the upper right of the front, either intentional or old stable pitting
  • Toshikage is a school artist rather than one of the great masters

Score breakdown

56.1/100

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 5 of 12 Late Edo (1781–1868)
  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 4.1 of 10 Rank 134 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest