Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
A daishō pair of mokkō-shaped iron tsuba, unsigned and attributed to the Hikone school, depicting the battle of the Uji River in takabori with gold and silver inlay.
A daishō pair of tsuba, one larger and one smaller, unsigned (mumei) and attributed by the original seller to the Hikone school, an Edo-period workshop known for dense narrative scenes in iron. Both are mokkō-shaped iron plates with a reserved rim (sukinokoshi-mimi) and a ground cut back in sukidashi-takabori. The subject, which the seller titles 宇治川合戦 (Ujigawa kassen), the battle of the Uji River, runs across both pieces: the photographs show armoured warriors on horseback amid churning waves, with banners, bows and arrows, gold and silver details in zōgan and iro-e, waves worked in kebori and a ground scattered with gold dots. Both hitsu-ana of the larger guard are filled with gold; the smaller one keeps one open and one filled. The iron shows a dark, stable patina and the gilding survives on the high points. The smaller guard has sekigane in the central ana. According to the original seller, the larger measures 8.6 × 8.0 cm and the smaller 8.0 × 7.4 cm, and they come with a paulownia box with cushion. The seller declares an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper, which does not appear in the photographs.
Strong points
- Complete daishō pair, with one subject spread across both tsuba
- Battle of the Uji River scene in takabori with gold and silver
- Gold-filled hitsu-ana and a ground scattered with gold dots
- Dark, stable patina with the gilding preserved on the relief
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper declared by the original seller
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: the Hikone attribution comes from the original seller and the paper does not appear in the photographs
- The period is estimated from style; the original seller only states Edo period
- The smaller tsuba has sekigane in the central ana
Score
44.2 / 100
- Maker 9 of 25 Attributed to a school only
- 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 2.2 of 10 Rank 259 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
- Hikone
- Period
- Late Edo (1781–1868)
- Material
- Iron, Gold, Silver
- Paper
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Signature
- Unsigned (mumei)
- Technique
- Takabori (high relief), Zōgan (inlay), Iroe (coloured inlay), Kebori (line engraving)
- Dating
- Late Edo period (estimated from style)