NH-0720 Rank 124
Daishō tsuba · Furukawa Naohide
古川直秀 (Furukawa Naohide)
A daishō pair of polished iron tsuba with hōzuki (Chinese lantern plant) vines in inlaid relief and gold accents, both signed 古川直秀 (Furukawa Naohide). NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
A daishō pair of tsuba, one large and one small, both signed 古川直秀 (Furukawa Naohide) beside the central opening. The theme is the hōzuki, or Chinese lantern plant: vines bearing lantern-shaped fruits run round the field of the obverse as a garland and gather into a single side branch on the reverse. The shape is tatemaru (upright oval), with a finely textured polished iron ground and a rounded, thickened dote-mimi rim. Fruits, leaves and stems are inlaid in relief in a glossy black metal, probably shakudō, with gold tendrils and stamens; the paper describes the work as 据紋象嵌色絵 (suemon zōgan iroe). The photographs show the iron with a stable dark patina and no red rust, crisp relief and complete gold; both central openings carry white-metal sekigane. According to the original seller, the large guard measures 8.55 × 7.97 cm and the small one 7.82 × 7.26 cm, and both are kept in a paulownia box. The NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper, no. 2011201, dated December 2024, accepts both signatures as by Furukawa Naohide.
Strong points
- Complete daishō pair, signed on both pieces
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2024) accepting both signatures
- Hōzuki in inlaid relief with gold tendrils and stamens
- Polished iron with dote-mimi rim, in good condition
Points to bear in mind
- The dating rests on style and prior data; the paper does not state a period
- White-metal sekigane in the central opening of both tsuba
- No expert inscription on the box is photographed
Score breakdown
59.8/100
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 19 of 25 Genuine signature of a known maker or school
- 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 2.8 of 10 Rank 165 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest