Kantei

NH-0753 Rank 215

Tsuba · Kamakura-bori

Unsigned round iron tsuba with a landscape of standing irises in low relief and openwork, attributed by the NBTHK to the Kamakura style, with Tokubetsu Hozon papers.

TsubaEarly Edo (1615–1688)Edo period (probably early, 17th century)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Round (marugata) iron tsuba, unsigned, which the NBTHK paper attributes to the Kamakura style (Kamakura-bori). The paper titles it 立菖蒲透風景図鍔 (tachi-shōbu sukashi fūkei-zu tsuba): a landscape with standing water irises. The photographs show both faces carved in sukidashi-bori, with iris leaves, water and clouds in softly drawn low relief, two pierced openings in kage-sukashi — one oval, the other with three arches — and a sukinokoshi-mimi rim, left in reserve by the carving itself. The iron carries a dark, even patina with brownish tones in the grain; no active red rust or cracks are visible, and the rim appears intact. No sekigane are visible in the central ana. It is kept in a fitted kiri box with no visible inscription. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper, no. 2010982, dated 26 September 2024. The original seller places it in the Edo period.

Strong points

  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2024)
  • Sukidashi-bori carving typical of the Kamakura style
  • Landscape of standing irises with kage-sukashi openwork
  • Dark iron patina, no active rust visible
  • Fitted kiri box

Points to bear in mind

  • Unsigned: the paper attributes it to a style, not to a maker
  • The paper gives no date; the period comes from the original seller and the style
  • Small photographs; dimensions and weight not stated

Score breakdown

55.5/100

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 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 9.5 of 10 Rank 12 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest