NH-0698 Rank 328
Tsuba · Umetada
Mokkō-gata tsuba in polished brass with a gold crescent moon and a hare running over the waves, a theme from the Noh play Chikubushima; mumei, attributed to the Umetada school by an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Unsigned (mumei) tsuba attributed to the Umetada school by an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper issued in 2014. The Umetada were a Kyoto family renowned for brass work inlaid with gold. The theme, Chikubushima-zu, comes from the Noh play of the same name, in which the moon rises over the lake and a hare seems to run across the waves. On the obverse a gold hira-zōgan crescent moon dominates among clouds, with a hare leaping through the waves below; on the reverse the moon reappears low, reflected among waves and clouds. The shape is mokkō-gata, the metal brass (shinchū) with a polished ground, the carving in sukishita kebori, and the hitsu-ana are outlined in gold. The kaku-mimi carries a geometric gold zōgan border that continues onto the edge. The photographs show a sound piece, free of rust, with a warm patina, the seppa-dai slightly rubbed from use, copper sekigane in the central ana and light wear to the gold on the edge. According to the original seller it measures 7.3 × 7.0 cm, 0.44 cm thick, weighs 133 g and comes in a paulownia box.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper attributing the piece to the Umetada school
- Literary theme from the Noh play Chikubushima: moon, waves and hare
- Gold hira-zōgan crescent moon on polished brass
- Kaku-mimi with a geometric gold border wrapping around the edge
- Good condition, no rust, warm original patina
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: the authorship is a paper attribution to the school, not to a specific master
- Copper sekigane in the central ana and metal plates inside the hitsu-ana
- Light loss of gold on the edge and rubbing on the seppa-dai
- The dating rests on style and on the original seller's statement; the paper gives no period
Score breakdown
48.6/100
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 7 of 12 Mid-Edo (1688–1781)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 4.6 of 10 Rank 123 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest