Kantei

NH-0771 Rank 359

Tsuba · Kyō Shōami

Round iron tsuba with mokkō-shaped openings and scattered gold-inlaid patterns, unsigned and attributed by its NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper to the Kyō Shōami school.

TsubaMid-Edo (1688–1781)Edo period (probably 18th century)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Unsigned (mumei) marugata, round, iron tsuba, attributed by its NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon certificate, issued in July 2024, to the Kyō Shōami school, the Kyoto branch of the Shōami lineage. The paper describes it as a tsuba with scattered patterns and mokkō-shaped openings, in iron with sukishita-bori carving, jisukashi piercing, zōgan inlay and a reserved dote-mimi rim. The photographs show a recessed central field framed by a thick rim, with four small trefoil openings and the two hitsu-ana closed with striated yellow-metal plates. Gold inlay spreads across the iron: panels of kagome, hishi and asanoha lattice, small chrysanthemums, square fragments and crossed poles, with a row of pine trees along the lower part of the obverse. The reverse repeats the lattice panels and carries sparser flowering branches. The seppa-dai keeps copper sekigane above and below the central opening. According to the original seller it measures 7.85 × 7.85 cm and is 0.55 cm thick. The iron has a dark patina, with reddish-brown rust spots on the rim and some gold lost on the reverse.

Strong points

  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper (no. 2010804, July 2024) attributing it to Kyō Shōami
  • Gold inlay of kagome, hishi and asanoha lattices and a row of pine trees
  • Scattered-pattern composition on both faces
  • Iron with dote-mimi rim and mokkō-shaped openings

Points to bear in mind

  • Unsigned: authorship is a school attribution by the paper
  • Reddish-brown rust spots on the rim, mainly on the reverse
  • Some of the gold inlay lost on the reverse
  • The period is inferred from style; the paper does not state it

Score breakdown

45.8/100

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 9 of 18 Visible wear
  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 6.8 of 10 Rank 73 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest