Kantei

NH-0727 Rank 341

Tsuba · Kyō-Shōami

Unsigned iron tsuba with a grapevine garland inlaid in gold, silver, shakudō and copper, attributed to the Kyō-Shōami school by an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.

TsubaLate Edo (1781–1868)Late Edo period (late 18th – 19th century)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Mumei iron tsuba attributed by its NBTHK paper to the Kyō-Shōami school, the Kyoto lineage of craftsmen known for iron guards decorated with flat inlay in coloured metals. The theme is budō-zu, the grapevine: a garland of heart-shaped leaves, bunches of grapes, tendrils and vine shoots runs around the edge of both faces, leaving the centre plain. The leaves alternate between gold, silver, black shakudō and reddish copper, their veins engraved in kebori; the grapes are small discs of gold and copper, and the tendrils are fine gold lines. The shape is tate-marugata, round and slightly taller than wide, with a square kaku-mimi rim that appears entirely covered in gold in the photographs. According to the original seller it measures 7.72 × 7.56 cm, 0.48 cm thick, weighs 141 g and is kept in a paulownia box. The photographs show iron with an even dark brown patina, some stable reddish tones near the central opening, and complete, crisp inlays. The Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper no. 2011199, dated 20 December 2024, describes it as 葡萄図鍔 無銘 京正阿弥 (Budō-zu tsuba mumei Kyō-Shōami).

Strong points

  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper of 2024, visible in the photographs
  • Grapevine garland in flat inlay of five metals: gold, silver, shakudō, copper and iron
  • Decorated on both faces, with leaf veins engraved in kebori
  • Complete, crisp inlays; gilded kaku-mimi rim

Points to bear in mind

  • Unsigned: the attribution to the Kyō-Shōami school comes from the paper, not from a signature.
  • The paper does not state a period; late Edo is inferred from the style.
  • The rim appears fully gilded; the photographs do not show whether this gilding is original.
  • Reddish tones in the iron near the central opening, stable in the photographs.

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.

  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 5 of 12 Late Edo (1781–1868)
  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 5.8 of 10 Rank 96 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest