NH-0776 Rank 174
Daishō tsuba · Akasaka Tadatoki
赤坂忠時 (Akasaka Tadatoki)
A daishō pair of pierced iron tsuba with sailing ships, pine and waves, signed by Akasaka Tadatoki and papered NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
A matched pair of tsuba for a daishō, made by the Akasaka school of Edo. Both pieces, round and slightly taller than wide, are pierced in iron with a seascape of pines, sailing ships and stylised waves, a subject characteristic of the workshop. Each is signed 武州住赤坂忠時作 (Bushū-jū Akasaka Tadatoki saku), the inscription divided on either side of the central opening and visible in the detail photographs. The NBTHK paper describes the pair as daishō tsuba with pierced sailing ships, polished iron ground, pierced field and rounded rim, and accepts the signature. According to the original seller, the larger measures 7.70 × 7.37 cm and weighs 99 g, the smaller 7.37 × 6.94 cm and 97 g; they are kept in a paulownia box. In the photographs the iron patina is dark and even, with no active rust and no cracks in the pierced bridges; one tsuba has yellow-metal sekigane in the central opening. Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper issued in 2021, number 2007965.
Strong points
- Complete daishō pair by the same maker and of the same design
- Signature of Akasaka Tadatoki on both pieces, accepted by the paper
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2021)
- Openwork of sailing ships, pine and waves, a classic Akasaka subject
- Iron with a dark, stable patina
Points to bear in mind
- The paper does not specify which generation of Tadatoki signed them; the late Edo dating is stylistic
- One tsuba has sekigane in the central opening
- The photographs of the pieces are low resolution
Score breakdown
57.8/100
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.
- Maker 19 of 25 Genuine signature of a known maker or school
- 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 5.8 of 10 Rank 97 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest