Kantei

NH-0742 Rank 232

Tsuba · Yūrakusai Sekibun

遊洛斎赤文 (Yūrakusai Sekibun)

Iron tsuba with cut corners showing a tiger and bamboo in katakiribori, signed by Yūrakusai Sekibun at the age of 77, with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu papers.

TsubaLate Edo (1781–1868)Late Edo periodNBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Iron plate tsuba in sumikiri-kakugata form (square with cut corners) with a kaku-mimi rim. The front shows a tiger whose fur is rendered in quick katakiribori strokes, with clouds or rocks along the lower edge; the back and upper border are covered with bamboo stems and leaves, the classic theme of the tiger in the bamboo grove. Two small round openings flank the central hole, and the single cloud-shaped hitsu-ana is plugged with shakudō. The signature, on either side of the central ana, reads 遊洛斎赤文 (Yūrakusai Sekibun) and 七十七翁 (shichijūshichi-ō, "old man of seventy-seven"), marking it as a work of the maker's old age. The photographs show an even, stable dark brown iron patina, with no active rust or visible cracks. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper no. 228965, issued in 2009, records the signature and describes an iron tsuba with small openings, katakiribori carving and a shakudō-plugged hitsu-ana. According to the original seller it measures 7.46 × 6.98 cm, 0.33 cm thick at the seppa-dai, weighs 132 g, and comes in a paulownia box.

Strong points

  • Signed with the maker's age: 七十七翁 (shichijūshichi-ō), a work made at 77
  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper
  • Tiger and bamboo in free, confident katakiribori
  • Hitsu-ana plugged with shakudō, as recorded on the paper

Points to bear in mind

  • The photographs are small; minor wear may not be visible
  • Neither the paper nor the signature gives a year; the period is inferred from style and maker

Score breakdown

54.2/100

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 2.2 of 10 Rank 179 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest