Kantei

NH-0745 Rank 180

Tsuba · Ko-Tōshō

Round tsuba of hammered iron, unsigned, with the kukuri-zaru motif in negative openwork, attributed to the Ko-Tōshō school and papered NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon.

TsubaMuromachi or earlier (before 1573)Muromachi period (15th–16th century)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Round (marugata) iron tsuba, unsigned, attributed by the NBTHK paper to the Ko-Tōshō school, the early swordsmith-style guard makers. The plate is thin, with a hammered surface (tsuchime-ji) and a rounded rim (maru-mimi). Decoration is limited to small negative openings (in-sukashi) forming the kukuri-zaru motif, the bound monkey of popular amulets: a tiny figure on one side and two rounded openings on the other, achieved with great economy. The photographs show both faces, the rim and close-ups of the surface: a dark, mottled and stable iron patina, with no active rust or visible cracks, and a small sekigane at the base of the central opening. According to the original seller it measures 8.26 × 8.04 cm, the rim is 0.25 cm thick, it weighs 90 g and comes in a paulownia box. The NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper, no. 2010669, dated 2 July 2024, describes it as a kukuri-zaru openwork tsuba, mumei, Ko-Tōshō.

Strong points

  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2024)
  • Attribution to the Ko-Tōshō school
  • Understated kukuri-zaru motif in negative openwork
  • Hammered iron with a dark, stable patina

Points to bear in mind

  • Unsigned: a school attribution, not an individual maker
  • Small sekigane in the central opening
  • The period is inferred from the attribution and style; the original seller dates it to Edo

Score breakdown

57.4/100

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 12 of 12 Muromachi or earlier (before 1573)
  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 8.4 of 10 Rank 38 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest