Kantei

NH-0684 Rank 161

Kozuka · Ikkan

一寛 (Ikkan)

Polished iron kozuka signed 一寛 (Ikkan), with a dove on a camellia trunk in takabori and gold and silver inlay; NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper.

KozukaLate Edo (1781–1868)Late Edo period (19th century)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Kozuka signed 一寛 (Ikkan) on the plain reverse, a signature the NBTHK paper accepts as genuine. The subject, which the paper titles 椿樹鳩図 (chinju hato-zu), shows a dove perched on the gnarled trunk of a camellia, from which a slender budding branch rises, with an open flower below. The plate is polished iron, 鉄磨地 (tetsu migaki-ji); the trunk is carved in high relief, takabori, with a textured surface set against the ground, while the dove and the flower are inlaid in silver, with eyes, beak, feet and flower centre in gold (金銀象嵌, kingin zōgan). The composition is restrained and lets the iron breathe. The photographs show a stable brown-black patina with no active rust, light rubbing on the reverse and edge, and the inlays complete. The original seller places it in Musashi province in the late Edo period. NBTHK 特別保存刀装具 (Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu) paper no. 2004380, dated December 2017, describing it as 椿樹鳩図小柄 (chinju hato-zu kozuka), 銘 一寛 (mei Ikkan). According to the original seller, it is kept in a paulownia wood box.

Strong points

  • Signature 一寛 (Ikkan) accepted by the NBTHK paper
  • Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper no. 2004380
  • Silver dove with gold details on a takabori camellia trunk
  • Polished iron with a stable patina, no active rust

Points to bear in mind

  • Light rubbing and paler areas in the patina of the reverse and edge
  • The dating comes from the original seller and the style; the paper does not state it
  • Neither the paper nor the listing specifies the maker's school

Score breakdown

58.4/100

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 6.4 of 10 Rank 22 of 59 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest