Kantei

NH-0805 Rank 351

Tsuba · Aizu Shōami

Unsigned iron tsuba showing herd boys and oxen in a river landscape, carved in high relief with gold accents; NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper attributing it to the Aizu Shōami school.

TsubaLate Edo (1781–1868)Late Edo period (late 18th – 19th century)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Unsigned (mumei) iron tsuba, attributed by its NBTHK paper to the Aizu Shōami school, the branch of the Shōami established in Aizu, Mutsu province, one of the most productive tsuba-making centres of the Edo period. The subject is the herd boys, 牧童 (bokudō): on the front, a boy riding an ox beside a willow and another fording the river with his animal, beneath mountains, clouds and a flight of gold birds. The back continues the landscape with pines, a hut among trees, a peak wrapped in clouds and small golden flowers. The shape is tatemaru-gata with a maru-mimi rim; the carving is sukidashi takabori with gold inlay (zōgan iroe), as described on the paper. According to the original seller it measures 84.5 × 81.0 mm, 4.7 mm at the seppa-dai, and weighs 162.5 g. The photographs show a dark, stable iron patina, with no active rust or noticeable knocks, and the gold intact. It comes with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper no. 2009432, dated 4 April 2023; the original seller also declares a paulownia box (kiri-bako).

Strong points

  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper (no. 2009432, 2023)
  • Herd boys and oxen with a landscape running across both faces
  • Sukidashi takabori in iron with gold accents
  • Dark, stable iron patina
  • Generous size: 84.5 × 81.0 mm, 162.5 g

Points to bear in mind

  • Unsigned: the paper attributes it to the school, not to an individual master
  • The period is inferred from style; the paper does not date it
  • The rim edge is not photographed in close-up
  • The paulownia box carries no declared expert inscription

Score breakdown

47.1/100

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 5 of 12 Late Edo (1781–1868)
  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 5.1 of 10 Rank 113 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest