Kantei

NH-0909 Rank 257

Tsuba · Ko-Katchūshi

Unsigned iron tsuba of the Ko-Katchūshi school, pierced in negative silhouette with a kasa hat and waves with suhama, with an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.

TsubaMuromachi or earlier (before 1573)Muromachi period (15th–16th century)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Unsigned iron tsuba of slightly upright round shape, attributed by the NBTHK paper to the 古甲冑師 (Ko-Katchūshi) school, the "early armourers", one of the oldest in the history of the tsuba. The subject, according to the paper, is kasa ni nami suhama sukashi: a kasa hat on one side and waves with the suhama motif on the other, cut out in negative silhouette (kage-sukashi) from an iron plate with a hammered surface (tsuchime-ji). The rim is okezoko-mimi, rolled like the bottom of a bucket, a feature typical of armourers. The photographs show a dark, old patina with a few brownish areas of stable surface rust, without cracks or knocks; the central opening retains metal fillers (sekigane). According to the original seller it measures 8.7 x 8.5 cm, 0.4 cm thick at the seppa-dai, and dates from the Muromachi period. Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper no. 224364, June 1999.

Strong points

  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (1999)
  • Ko-Katchūshi school, among the oldest in tsuba making
  • Negative-silhouette piercing of kasa and waves with suhama
  • Hammered iron (tsuchime-ji) and okezoko-mimi rim

Points to bear in mind

  • Unsigned: attributed to a school, not to an individual maker
  • Scattered brownish surface rust, apparently stable
  • Metal fillers (sekigane) in the central opening
  • The dating comes from the original seller and the style; the paper does not state it

Score breakdown

52.4/100

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 12 of 12 Muromachi or earlier (before 1573)
  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 3.4 of 10 Rank 151 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest