NH-0709 Rank 342
Tsuba and fuchi-kashira · Nomura
野村 (Nomura)
A matching tsuba and fuchi-kashira in shakudō nanako with a chequerboard of manji and gold flowers, attributed by the paper to the Nomura school and certified NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
A set comprising an unsigned tsuba and fuchi-kashira, attributed by the NBTHK paper to the Nomura school: 無銘 野村 (mumei Nomura). All three pieces share the same design, a chequerboard (ichimatsu) alternating polished shakudō squares bearing the recessed Buddhist 卍 (manji) symbol with nanako-ground squares carrying a four-petalled gold flower. The tsuba, of tatemaru shape, measures 7.42 × 7.0 cm with a thickness of 0.53 cm and weighs 144 g according to the original seller; it is framed by a gold fukurin rim. The relief is sukidashibori, obtained by cutting back the ground, and the flowers are in gold iroe. The photographs show very regular, crisp workmanship with neatly squared compartments, a deep black patina on the shakudō and the gold intact. The central ana of the tsuba has copper sekigane; the seppa-dai shows normal handling wear, and the inside of the kashira and the inner face of the fuchi carry light scratches. The paper is an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu, no. 2009265, dated 4 April 2023. The original seller states that it comes in a paulownia box.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2023)
- Coherent set: tsuba, fuchi and kashira with the same design
- Shakudō nanako with gold iroe and a gold fukurin on the tsuba
- Very regular chequerboard of manji and flowers
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: the authorship is the paper's attribution to the Nomura school, not to a named artist
- Copper sekigane in the central ana of the tsuba
- The paper does not give a date; the period is inferred from style and from the original seller's statement
- The 卍 (manji) is a traditional Buddhist symbol, unrelated to the 20th-century political emblem
Score breakdown
47.8/100
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.
- Maker 9 of 25 Attributed to a school only
- Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- Period 5 of 12 Late Edo (1781–1868)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 0.8 of 10 Rank 25 of 27 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest