NH-0747 Rank 302
Tsuba · Kamiyoshi
神吉 (Kamiyoshi)
Iron aori-gata tsuba with pierced paulownia, unsigned and attributed by its NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper to the Kamiyoshi lineage of Higo.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Unsigned iron tsuba, attributed by its NBTHK paper to 神吉 (Kamiyoshi), a lineage of craftsmen working in the Higo tradition. The paper describes it as 投桐透鐔 (nage-giri sukashi tsuba): a guard with the "thrown" paulownia motif, its leaves and flower sprays pierced through the iron. According to the same paper, the shape is 障泥形 (aori-gata), the ground polished iron (tetsu migaki-ji) with ground openwork (ji-sukashi), the leaf veins engraved in kebori and the rim rounded (maru-mimi). The photographs show a clean, balanced design in which the leaves embrace the seppa-dai and join the outer rim. The patina is dark and even, with no active rust or visible damage; a slight sheen of handling shows on the high points. The original seller gives dimensions of 8.10 × 7.55 cm, a rim thickness of 0.50 cm and a weight of 117 g, and states that it comes in a paulownia box (kiri-bako), which is visible in one of the photographs. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper no. 225693, dated 13 October 2000.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper
- Attributed to the Kamiyoshi lineage of Higo
- Paulownia pierced in polished iron, with kebori leaf veins
- Dark, even patina with no visible active rust
- Comes in a paulownia box
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: the authorship is the paper's attribution to the lineage, not to a specific master
- The period is inferred from the school; neither the paper nor the piece dates it
- The photographs are small and do not show the iron grain up close
Score breakdown
50.3/100
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.
- Maker 9 of 25 Attributed to a school only
- Workmanship 10 of 20 Good work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- Period 5 of 12 Late Edo (1781–1868)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 8.3 of 10 Rank 40 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest