Kantei

NH-0706 Rank 141

Tsuba · Tanshū-jū Sadamasa

丹州住定正 (Tanshū-jū Sadamasa)

Flower-shaped iron tsuba signed 丹州住定正 (Tanshū-jū Sadamasa), with dewdrops in inlaid gold and an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.

TsubaLate Edo (1781–1868)Late Edo period (18th–19th century)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Iron tsuba signed 丹州住定正 (Tanshū-jū Sadamasa), that is, Sadamasa living in Tanba province. The signature, chiselled beside the central opening on the front face, is clearly legible in the photographs, and the NBTHK paper accepts it. The guard takes a fanciful shape (kawari-gata) of a flower with five lobed petals, divided by fine kebori lines; according to the paper the theme is hana ni tsuyu-zu, a flower with dewdrops, rendered here as two drops of inlaid gold on the lower petal, visible on both faces. The ground is hammer-textured iron (tsuchime-ji) and the rim is turned over (uchikaeshi-mimi), with a soft relief following the outline. One of the two hitsu-ana is closed with a pale metal plug; the other is open. The photographs show a dark, stable patina, with slight traces of brown rust inside the openings and at one point on the rim, and no visible cracks or knocks. It comes with an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper, no. 2008643, issued in July 2022. According to the original seller it measures 8.4 × 8.08 cm, 0.47 cm thick, weighs 148 g, and is kept in a paulownia box.

Strong points

  • Signed 丹州住定正 (Tanshū-jū Sadamasa), signature accepted by the NBTHK
  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2022)
  • Five-petal lobed flower shape with uchikaeshi-mimi rim
  • Dewdrops in inlaid gold, visible on both faces
  • Tsuchime iron surface with a dark, stable patina

Points to bear in mind

  • One of the hitsu-ana is closed with a metal plug (hitsu-ume).
  • Slight traces of brown rust inside the openings and at one point on the rim.
  • Sadamasa of Tanshū is a little-documented provincial maker; the dating is based on style, not on the paper.

Score breakdown

59.1/100

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 7.1 of 10 Rank 66 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest