NH-0769 Rank 296
Fuchi-kashira · Mito school
Unsigned Mito-school fuchi-kashira on the theme of a samurai helmet (kabuto), in suaka copper with gold, with an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Mumei fuchi-kashira attributed by its paper to the Mito school. The set turns the two hilt fittings into a samurai helmet: the kashira reproduces the bowl of a hoshi-kabuto, with its ribs, rows of rivets and the tehen at the top, flanked by gold kuwagata and a mon; the fuchi carries on the motif with gilt kuwagata, a central mon, dotted gold outlines and, at its base, the lames of the shikoro with small gold crosses. According to the paper, the body is red copper (suaka) with an ishime ground, worked in sukidashi takabori with gold inlay and accents (zōgan iroe). The photographs show a warm, even brown patina, with no rust or cracks; the gold on the kashira's kuwagata is lightly rubbed on the high points. Dimensions given by the original seller: fuchi 4.20 × 2.55 × 1.35 cm; kashira 3.68 × 2.15 × 1.55 cm. It comes with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu certificate no. 2009170, dated 22 December 2022, attributing it to Mito.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper (2022), attributed to the Mito school
- Kabuto theme carried coherently across both pieces
- Suaka copper with ishime ground, high relief and gold
- Warm patina with no rust or cracks
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: a school attribution, not a named maker
- Light rubbing of the gold on the kashira's kuwagata
- Remnant of old wood inside the kashira
- Period inferred from style and school; the paper does not state it
Score breakdown
50.5/100
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.
- 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 8.5 of 10 Rank 5 of 27 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest