NH-0721 Rank 199
Tsuba · Umetada
梅忠 (Umetada)
Iron aori-gata tsuba with chrysanthemums and paulownia, signed 梅忠 (Umetada) with a kaō and accompanied by an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Iron tsuba of aori-gata (障泥形) shape, signed on the obverse beside the central opening 梅忠 (Umetada) followed by a kaō (花押), the craftsman's personal cipher. The NBTHK paper describes it as a 菊桐図鐔 (kiku-kiri-zu tsuba), a guard with chrysanthemums and paulownia, on a yakite kusarashi iron ground, fire-treated and corroded to give a rugged surface, carved in sukishita-bori with zōgan inlays and an uchikaeshi-mimi rim. The photographs show large chrysanthemums with gold centres on both faces and paulownia sprays dotted with silver dewdrops, their veins picked out in fine line engraving. The patina is black, even and stable, with no visible red rust, and the inlays are complete. According to the original seller it measures 7.50 × 6.76 cm, 0.3 cm thick, weighs 118 g, and is kept in an uninscribed paulownia wood box. The Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper, no. 2009628, dated 14 July 2023, accepts the signature.
Strong points
- Signature 梅忠 (Umetada) with kaō, accepted by the NBTHK paper
- Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper no. 2009628 (2023)
- Yakite kusarashi iron with chrysanthemums and paulownia in sukishita-bori
- Gold and silver inlays complete
- Stable black patina, no visible active rust
Points to bear in mind
- The paper accepts the Umetada signature but does not specify the generation or the individual master of the workshop.
- Neither the paper nor the signature dates the piece; the Edo attribution comes from the original seller.
- The paulownia box carries no expert inscription.
- Small fitting marks at the ends of the central opening.
Score breakdown
56.5/100
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 10 of 20 Good 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 4.5 of 10 Rank 126 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest