Kantei

NH-0741 Rank 200

Tsuba · Hayashi Shigemitsu (attributed)

林重光 (Hayashi Shigemitsu)

Iron tatemaru tsuba pierced with heraldic crests (bukan chirashi), unsigned and attributed by the NBTHK to Hayashi Shigemitsu of the Hayashi school of Higo. Tokubetsu Hozon paper.

TsubaMid-Edo (1688–1781)Mid-Edo period (late 17th – 18th century)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Iron tsuba of tatemaru shape (slightly taller than wide) with a rounded rim. The design, known as 武鑑散透 (bukan chirashi sukashi), scatters a repertoire of family crests in positive openwork around the central opening: five-petalled flowers within roundels, hanabishi, cranes in roundels, lightning bolts, clouds and square emblems, with kebori details on the surfaces. The composition is balanced and the piercing crisp, in the restrained tradition of the Hayashi school of Higo. The photographs show a dark, stable iron patina, with no active rust or broken bridges, and copper sekigane in the central opening. The piece is unsigned: the NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (no. 2006402, 10 March 2020) attributes it to 林重光 (Hayashi Shigemitsu), second generation of the Hayashi school. The original seller gives 8.25 × 8.10 cm, a rim thickness of 0.55 cm and 145 g, and states that it comes in a kiri box.

Strong points

  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper
  • Attributed to Hayashi Shigemitsu, Hayashi school of Higo
  • Openwork of heraldic crests (bukan chirashi) with kebori
  • Iron with a dark, stable patina

Points to bear in mind

  • Unsigned: an attribution by the paper, not a signed work
  • Copper sekigane in the central opening
  • Period inferred from the attributed maker; the paper does not state it
  • Photographs of limited resolution

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.

  1. Maker 15 of 25 Unsigned, attributed by the paper to a master
  2. Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable work
  3. Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
  4. Period 7 of 12 Mid-Edo (1688–1781)
  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 1.5 of 10 Rank 195 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest