Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Unsigned round iron tsuba attributed to the Owari school, pierced with interlocking circles in a shippō pattern. Early Edo period; the original seller declares Tokubetsu Hozon papers.
Mumei tsuba attributed by the original seller to the Owari school, one of the great centres of pierced iron guards. The round plate, about 93.5 × 93 mm and 5 mm thick at the seppa-dai, is pierced with a geometric design of interlocking circles in a 七宝 (shippō) pattern, whose intersections form a cross centred on the seppa-dai; four small rings near the rim, two more on the vertical axis and two side openings, one oval and one trefoil, complete the composition. The photographs show dark, dense iron with visible hammer marks and a stable black-brown patina, without active rust or cracks. On the reverse, beside the central ana, there is a small stamp that the listing reads as 大 (dai). The central ana carries sekigane fillers. The dating, early Edo, comes from the listing and agrees with the style. The original seller declares NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu papers and a kiri box; neither appears in the photographs.
Strong points
- Geometric piercing of interlocking circles (shippō), typical of Owari
- Dark forged iron with visible hammer marks
- Stable patina, no active rust or cracks
- Generous size: 93.5 × 93 mm
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers declared by the original seller
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: a school attribution, not a named maker
- The declared papers do not appear in the photographs
- Sekigane fillers in the central ana
Score
54.1 / 100
- Maker 9 of 25 Attributed to a school only
- Workmanship 10 of 20 Good work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- Period 9 of 12 Early Edo (1615–1688)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 8.1 of 10 Rank 65 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
- Owari
- Period
- Early Edo (1615–1688)
- Material
- Iron
- Paper
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Signature
- Unsigned (mumei)
- Technique
- Sukashi (openwork)
- Dating
- Early Edo period (17th century)