Kantei

NH-0762 Rank 39

Tsuba · Watanabe Ōmi Daijō Masatsugu

渡辺近江大掾源正次 (Watanabe Ōmi Daijō Masatsugu)

Round brass tsuba with onigawara openings on both sides and engraved scenes of immortals, signed by the caster Watanabe Ōmi Daijō Minamoto Masatsugu in Hirosaki; NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.

TsubaMid-Edo (1688–1781)Mid-Edo period (c. 1679–1704)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Round (marugata) tsuba in brass (shinchū), signed on the obverse 渡辺近江大掾源正次作者也 (Watanabe Ōmi Daijō Minamoto Masatsugu saku-sha nari) and inscribed on the reverse with a mention of a “Dutch” metal and of 奥州弘前 (Ōshū Hirosaki), where it was made. According to the original seller, Masatsugu (1646–1704) was an official caster to the Tokugawa shogunate, retained by the Hirosaki domain from 1679, and made with his father the copper shachihoko of Edo Castle, now at Nagoya Castle. The two openings shaped as onigawara (demon roof tiles) frame a composition of Daoist immortals (gunsen-zu) engraved in katakiribori and kebori: the photographs show figures on clouds, an immortal riding a crane, a waterfall, pines and a horse beside a stream. The rim, worked as a dote-mimi, carries zigzag gold inlays. The patina is dark and warm, with light wear on the high points and some sections of gold lost. The NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2021) describes the piece and records the signature. Stated size: 8 × 8 cm.

Strong points

  • Full signature of the caster Watanabe Ōmi Daijō Minamoto Masatsugu, naming Hirosaki
  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper
  • Daoist immortals in katakiribori and kebori on both faces
  • Brass with onigawara openings and gold inlays on the rim

Points to bear in mind

  • Sections of the gold inlay on the rim are missing.
  • Two characters of the reverse inscription are illegible, on the piece and on the paper.
  • The biography and dating come from the original seller; the paper gives no date of making.
  • The photographs do not show the edge.

Score breakdown

66.6/100

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 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 7.6 of 10 Rank 55 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest