Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Iron openwork tsuba depicting a shimekazari, the sacred New Year rope with fern fronds; unsigned and attributed to the Chōshū school, late Edo period.
A round iron tsuba, unsigned, which the original seller attributes to the Chōshū school, the workshops of Nagato province that produced sword guards in great numbers and in widely varied styles during the Edo period. The subject is the shimekazari, the sacred rope decoration hung at New Year: the entire rim is carved as a twisted rope, and inside four urajiro fern fronds open out on either side of the seppa-dai, joined by curving stems, with two elongated leaves above and below. The photographs show clean, symmetrical openwork, with the pinnae of each frond finely engraved in line and remarkable volume for a pierced piece. The iron keeps a dark brown patina; some superficial reddish areas are visible on the seppa-dai and the edge, with no cracks or broken bridges. It measures 73.9 × 70.4 mm, 5.3 mm thick at the seppa-dai, and weighs 85.4 g, according to the original seller, who also declares an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper and a paulownia box. The certificate is not photographed.
Strong points
- Shimekazari openwork with fern fronds, symmetrical and balanced composition
- Rim carved as a twisted rope all around the edge
- Fine line engraving on the fronds
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper declared by the original seller
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: attribution to the Chōshū school, not to a named maker
- The certificate does not appear in the photographs
- Reddish areas of surface rust on the seppa-dai and edge
- The period is inferred from style; neither the listing nor the photographs fix it
Score
51.3 / 100
- Maker 9 of 25 Attributed to a school only
- Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable 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 4.3 of 10 Rank 189 of 330 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest
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.
Details
- Type
- Tsuba
- School
- Chōshū
- Period
- Late Edo (1781–1868)
- Material
- Iron
- Paper
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Signature
- Unsigned (mumei)
- Technique
- Sukashi (openwork), Kebori (line engraving)
- Dating
- Late Edo period (19th century)