NH-0665 Rank 202
Tsuba · Chōshū
Unsigned iron tsuba, pierced and carved in relief with thistles and an insect, attributed by the NBTHK to the Chōshū school with Tokubetsu Hozon papers.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Round iron tsuba, unsigned (無銘, mumei), attributed by the NBTHK paper to the 長州 (Chōshū) school of Nagato province, known for its pierced iron guards with naturalistic themes. The design, thistles with an insect, fills the whole surface: two thistle flowers above, a third flower head below, serrated leaves with finely engraved veins and an insect, probably a wasp, resting among the leaves. The carving is in relief against a pierced ground (肉彫地透, nikubori ji-sukashi), deep and crisp on both faces, and the rim is square with little thickness. The paper also mentions coloured inlay (象嵌色絵, zōgan iroe); according to the original seller, the insect's eyes carry gold dots, a detail the photographs do not show clearly. The photographs show a dark, stable iron patina with no active rust, faint brownish traces on the seppa-dai and two small copper fillings (sekigane) in the central opening. Dimensions stated by the original seller: 7 × 6.7 cm, 0.5 cm thick at the seppa-dai. It comes with a paulownia wood box and the 特別保存刀装具 (Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu) certificate no. 2011708, dated 30 September 2025.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2025) visible in the photographs
- Deep relief carving on a pierced ground, worked on both faces
- Naturalistic composition of thistles with a finely detailed insect
- Dark, stable iron patina with no active rust
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: attributed to the Chōshū school, not to a specific maker
- The dating comes from the listing and the style; the paper does not state it
- Two small copper fillings (sekigane) in the central opening and faint brownish traces on the seppa-dai
Score breakdown
56.2/100
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 15 of 20 Notable 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 9.2 of 10 Rank 20 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest