NH-0663 Rank 282
Tsuba · Kyō-sukashi
Openwork iron tsuba in chrysanthemum shape, unsigned, with myōga, chasen, fans and wild geese; NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper attributing it to the Kyō-sukashi school.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Unsigned (mumei) iron tsuba attributed by its NBTHK paper to the Kyō-sukashi school, the Kyoto workshops of pierced tsuba prized for the elegance of their designs. The paper titles it 茗荷茶筅扇雁金透鐔 (Myōga chasen ōgi karigane sukashi tsuba): two pairs of myōga buds above and below, two chasen (tea whisks) at the sides, four closed folding fans on the diagonals and an inner ring of karigane (wild geese) linking the whole, in a symmetrical composition. The shape is a chrysanthemum (kikka-gata) with a rounded, scalloped rim (maru-mimi), two hitsu-ana and a polished iron surface. The photographs show crisp, clean-edged piercing and fine kebori on the myōga leaves and on the whisk bristles. The original seller gives 8.4 × 8.4 cm and 0.5 cm thickness at the seppa-dai. Condition is good: stable dark brown patina, no active rust and no broken bridges; a small yellow-metal shim sits in the central opening. It comes in a paulownia wood box. Paper 特別保存刀装具 (Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu) no. 225619, dated 13 April 2000.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2000)
- Classic Kyō-sukashi design of myōga, chasen, fans and karigane
- Clean-edged piercing with fine kebori
- Iron with stable patina and no active rust
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: a school attribution, not a maker's
- The dating comes from the original seller and the style; the paper does not state it
- Small yellow-metal shim in the central opening
Score breakdown
51.3/100
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.
- 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 9.3 of 10 Rank 18 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest