Kantei

NH-0705 Rank 308

Tsuba · Umetada school

埋忠 (Umetada school)

Polished shakudō tsuba with a lozenge of gold-inlaid arabesques and fine ito-sukashi slits, unsigned and attributed to Umetada by an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.

TsubaLate Edo (1781–1868)Edo period (per the original seller)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Round tsuba, slightly taller than wide, in shakudō with a polished ground (migaki-ji), unsigned. The NBTHK paper titles it 菱唐草図鍔 (hishi karakusa-zu tsuba), "tsuba with arabesques in a lozenge", and attributes it to 埋忠 (Umetada), the lineage founded by Umetada Myōju in the Momoyama period. A large lozenge sunk in sukishita-bori fills the centre of the plate; at its corners four gold zōgan karakusa arabesques alternate with four kebori engraved ones, on both faces. Four fine ito-sukashi slits, parallel to the sides of the lozenge, pierce the outer field, and the rim is rounded (maru-mimi). The photographs show a stable blue-black patina, the gold intact and some light rubbing on the field and rim consistent with use; the central opening retains its copper sekigane. According to the original seller it measures 7.6 × 7.26 cm, 0.36 cm thick, weighs 118 g and is kept in a paulownia wood box. Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper no. 2008060, dated 24 December 2021.

Strong points

  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2021) attributing it to Umetada
  • Restrained geometric design: arabesque lozenge and ito-sukashi piercing
  • Gold zōgan arabesques complete on both faces
  • Polished shakudō ground with blue-black patina

Points to bear in mind

  • Unsigned: a school attribution by the paper, not a signed work by Umetada Myōju
  • Light rubbing on field and rim consistent with use
  • Copper sekigane in the central opening
  • The paper does not date the piece; the Edo dating comes from the original seller

Score breakdown

49.8/100

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 9 of 25 Attributed to a school only
  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 7.8 of 10 Rank 51 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest