NH-0816 Rank 198
Fuchi-kashira · Seiryūken Eiju
成龍軒栄寿 (Seiryūken Eiju)
Polished iron fuchi-kashira with a dragon in high relief and gold details, signed Seiryūken Eiju with a gold seal, with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu papers.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Iron fuchi-kashira signed 成龍軒 栄寿 (Seiryūken Eiju), with a square gold-inlaid seal beside the signature. According to the original seller, Eiju used the family name Umetada, worked in Ōsaka, Settsu province, during the Tenmei and Kansei eras (c. 1781–1801) and is said to have been a pupil of Tetsugendō Naoshige. The subject is a dragon among clouds that runs around the entire fuchi and fills the face of the kashira, its head shown frontally with gold-dot eyes. The photographs show a polished iron ground (tetsu migaki-ji) worked in sukidashi takabori, with finely chiselled scales and mane, and gold bands inlaid along the rims of both pieces. The signature and seal are on the tenjō of the fuchi, on either side of the central opening. The condition visible is good: a dark, stable patina, no active rust or visible knocks, with some lighter, mottled areas on the upper part of the fuchi. It comes with an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu certificate, no. 2011395, dated 1 April 2025, which titles the piece 龍図縁頭 (ryū-zu fuchigashira) and records the signature of Seiryūken Eiju with gold seal. The original seller states that it is supplied in a paulownia wood box.
Strong points
- Signature 成龍軒 栄寿 (Seiryūken Eiju) with gold seal, accepted by the papers
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu papers (2025)
- Dragon in sukidashi takabori wrapping around the whole fuchi and kashira
- Polished iron with gold-inlaid eyes and rims
Points to bear in mind
- Lighter, mottled areas on the upper part of the fuchi.
- The dating and the Umetada family name come from the original seller; the papers give no period.
Score breakdown
56.6/100
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 4.6 of 10 Rank 15 of 27 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest