Kantei

NH-0714 Rank 287

Tsuba · Akita Shōami

Round pierced iron tsuba, unsigned, attributed by its NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper to the Akita Shōami school; design of embracing myōga, tasuki and chasen.

TsubaMid-Edo (1688–1781)Mid-Edo period (17th–18th century)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Mumei round (marugata) iron tsuba attributed to the Akita Shōami school of Dewa province. The paper titles it 抱茗荷襷茶筅透鐔 (daki-myōga tasuki chasen sukashi tsuba): above and below, two motifs of embracing myōga; at the sides, lobed openings; and around the seppa-dai, ribbed spokes recalling the tines of a tea whisk. The technique is nikubori jisukashi, modelled relief over a pierced ground, with a square rim of slight thickness (kaku-mimi ko-niku). The photographs show a dark, stable iron patina with a fine, even texture on both faces and the rim, with no active rust or cracks; the central opening retains its copper sekigane. The original seller gives 8.0 × 7.95 cm, 0.70 cm thickness and 135 g, and states it comes in a paulownia box. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper no. 2009632, dated 14 July 2023.

Strong points

  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2023)
  • Paper attribution to the Akita Shōami school
  • Symmetrical, well-resolved radial openwork design
  • Dark, stable iron patina with no active rust

Points to bear in mind

  • Unsigned: attributed to a school, not to an individual maker
  • Copper sekigane in the central opening
  • Dating is inferred from style and listing; the paper gives no date of making

Score breakdown

51/100

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 7 of 12 Mid-Edo (1688–1781)
  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 of 10 Rank 69 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest