Kantei

NH-0682 Rank 203

Fuchi-kashira · Sano Naoyoshi

佐野直好 (Sano Naoyoshi)

Shakudō fuchi-kashira with nanako ground and gold motifs on the Miwa theme, signed Sano Naoyoshi with kaō and accompanied by an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.

Fuchi-kashiraLate Edo (1781–1868)Late Edo period (late 18th–19th century)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Fuchi-kashira signed 佐野直好 (Sano Naoyoshi) with kaō on the copper tenjō of the fuchi; the photographs show the signature clearly and the paper records it as 銘 佐野直好（花押） (mei Sano Naoyoshi kaō). The subject is 三輪図 (Miwa-zu), an allusion to the legend of Mount Miwa: fuchi and kashira share a spool of hemp thread (odamaki) with its loose strand and two gold conical forms, chiselled in overlapping scales, that evoke the cedars associated with the shrine. The body is shakudō with a fine, even nanako ground; the lower part, polished to a deep black, forms a landscape with engraved lines and small cloud motifs. The motifs are in takabori with kin-iroe, as the paper describes: 赤銅地 高彫 金色絵 (shakudō-ji takabori kin-iroe). The kashira has silver shitodome. In the photographs the patina is dark and even, the nanako keeps its crisp grain and the gilding is intact; the inside of the kashira and the tenjō bear old ink numbers. NBTHK 特別保存刀装具 (Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu) paper no. 224043, dated 14 April 1999. The original seller places it in the late Edo period and states that it is kept in a paulownia box; declared dimensions: fuchi 3.84 × 2.21 cm, kashira 3.49 × 1.98 cm.

Strong points

  • Signature 佐野直好 (Sano Naoyoshi) with kaō, accepted by the paper
  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper no. 224043 (1999)
  • Fine, even nanako on deeply patinated shakudō
  • Crisp takabori with kin-iroe on the theme of the Miwa legend

Points to bear in mind

  • Signed work, but not by a first-rank master; the paper gives no school.
  • Old ink numbers inside the kashira and on the tenjō of the fuchi.
  • The late Edo dating comes from the original seller; the paper does not specify it.

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.

  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 4.2 of 10 Rank 16 of 27 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest