Kantei

NH-0738 Rank 233

Tsuba · Akasaka

Round iron tsuba with a pierced willow design (ryūju sukashi), unsigned, attributed to the Akasaka school by an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.

TsubaEarly Edo (1615–1688)Early Edo period (17th century), by styleNBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Round (marugata) iron tsuba with a rounded rim (marumimi), pierced in positive silhouette with a willow tree: the trunk wraps around the central opening (ana) while the hanging branches and leaves open out in concentric arcs towards the rim. The piece is unsigned; the NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (no. 2009993, 10 October 2023) records it as 柳樹透鐔 (ryūju sukashi tsuba), 無銘 (mumei), and attributes it to the 赤坂 (Akasaka) school. Founded in Edo in the first half of the 17th century, the Akasaka school refined the iron openwork traditions of Owari and Kyōto; its early generations (Ko-Akasaka) are recognised by well-forged iron, round shape, rounded rim and generous thickness, all features the photographs show here. According to the original seller it measures 7.92 × 7.82 cm, 0.59 cm thick at the seppa-dai, and weighs 52.7 g. The photographs show a dark, stable patina with a lively surface texture and no visible active red rust; the central opening is fitted with copper sekigane, as is usual. It comes in a wooden box with a fabric cushion.

Strong points

  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2023) attributing it to the Akasaka school
  • Open, well-balanced willow openwork design
  • Well-forged iron, marugata and marumimi of good thickness
  • Dark, stable patina with no visible active rust

Points to bear in mind

  • Unsigned: the paper gives a school attribution, not a named maker
  • The early Edo dating rests on style; the paper does not state it
  • Copper sekigane in the central opening
  • Slight brownish areas on the rim

Score breakdown

54.1/100

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 9 of 12 Early Edo (1615–1688)
  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 8.1 of 10 Rank 44 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest