Kantei

NH-0731 Rank 149

Tsuba · Garyūsai Genju

臥竜斎元寿 (Garyūsai Genju)

Tsuba signed by Garyūsai Genju, showing a mountain landscape with waterfall and bridge in high relief on shakudō with gold inlay; NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.

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

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Slightly upright round tsuba (tate-maru-gata), signed on the seppa-dai by Garyūsai Genju with his kaō. It depicts a landscape in the manner of a painting: on the right a cliff with a waterfall topped by a pavilion and trees, below a wooden bridge with hatted travellers and a riverbank; the reverse continues the scene with a tree on the shore. According to the paper, the ground is shakudō with an ishime finish, worked in sukidashi-takabori with coloured inlay (zōgan iroe) and a square, slightly rounded rim (kaku-mimi ko-niku); the photographs show the leaves and details in gold and a fine sense of depth in the carving. The patina is dark and even, the gold is preserved, and no dents or rust are visible; the reverse shows a small surface mark. The original seller gives 71.4 × 66.1 mm, 4.8 mm thickness and 142 g. The NBTHK certified it as Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu in 2019, accepting the signature.

Strong points

  • Signed by Garyūsai Genju with kaō, accepted by the paper
  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2019)
  • Pictorial landscape with waterfall, pavilion, bridge and travellers
  • Shakudō ishime with sukidashi-takabori and gold inlay

Points to bear in mind

  • The original seller lists it as iron, but the paper describes a shakudō ground
  • The paper does not state the period: late Edo is a stylistic estimate
  • Small surface mark on the upper reverse; the rim is not shown in close-up

Score breakdown

58.9/100

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.

  1. Maker 19 of 25 Genuine signature of a known maker or school
  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 6.9 of 10 Rank 72 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest