NH-0725 Rank 339
Tsuba · Namban
Octagonal iron tsuba of the Namban school, with two dragons chasing the jewel among karakusa scrolls in gold and silver nunome-zōgan. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Unsigned octagonal (hakkaku-gata) iron tsuba, attributed by the NBTHK paper to the 南蛮 (Namban) school. On the obverse, two dragons, one in silver and one in gold, chase the sacred jewel (tama) among karakusa scrolls; the paper titles the subject 珠追双龍唐草図 (tama-oi sōryū karakusa-zu). The reverse gathers treasure motifs (takaramono), including two shippō roundels, with waves and scrolls. The rim is a dote-mimi reserved in the iron itself, 鋤残土手耳 (sukinokoshi dote-mimi), running with a raimon fret. All the decoration is worked in gold and silver nunome-zōgan over cross-hatched iron, which also shows on the edge. The photographs show the gold of the dragons well preserved and the silver somewhat worn on the high points; the iron has a stable dark patina with no active rust visible. The central ana carries copper sekigane. The original seller states 7.10 × 6.84 cm, 0.55 cm thick and 145 g, supplied in a kiri box. Paper: 特別保存刀装具 (Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu), no. 2011497, dated 19 June 2025.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper (2025), attributed to the Namban school
- Two dragons chasing the jewel in gold and silver nunome-zōgan
- Decorated on both faces, with a raimon fret on the dote-mimi
- Gold on the obverse well preserved
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: a school attribution, not a maker
- Silver nunome somewhat worn in places on both faces
- Copper sekigane in the central ana
- The period is inferred from style; the paper does not date it
Score breakdown
47.9/100
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 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 5.9 of 10 Rank 95 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest