Kantei

NH-0912 Rank 370

Fuchi-kashira · Hirata

Unsigned shakudō fuchi-kashira with five butterflies in gold-wire shippō enamel, attributed to the Hirata school by an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.

Fuchi-kashiraLate Edo (1781–1868)Late Edo period (19th century, by style)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Unsigned fuchi-kashira attributed by its NBTHK paper to the Hirata school, the family of enamellers who worked under the patronage of the Tokugawa shogunate and whose name is synonymous with shippō (cloisonné enamel) on sword fittings. The theme is gunchō-zu, a flight of butterflies: two on the crown of the kashira and three around the band of the fuchi, their wings in amber yellow, turquoise and blue-green, outlined in metal wire, with shakudō bodies. The ground is shakudō with a chirimen-ishime finish, a crinkled texture like crêpe, under an even blue-black patina. The open rim of both parts carries a gold edging, and the tenjō of the fuchi is copper with a shakudō border. The photographs show the enamel intact on nearly all the butterflies, but one on the fuchi is pitted and partly lost, and the gold rim of the fuchi has small nicks. It comes in a plain wooden box without inscription. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper no. 2003542, dated 28 June 2016, which describes the piece as 赤銅縮緬石目地 金線七宝象嵌 (shakudō chirimen ishime-ji kinsen shippō zōgan).

Strong points

  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2016)
  • Kinsen shippō enamel, the speciality of the Hirata school
  • Five butterflies in yellow, turquoise and blue-green
  • Shakudō chirimen-ishime ground with an even patina
  • Gold rims on both fuchi and kashira

Points to bear in mind

  • Unsigned: a school attribution, not a named master
  • One butterfly on the fuchi has pitted, partly lost enamel
  • Small nicks in the gold rim of the fuchi
  • The period is inferred from style; the paper does not state it

Score breakdown

40.5/100

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 9 of 18 Visible wear
  4. Period 5 of 12 Late Edo (1781–1868)
  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 3.5 of 10 Rank 18 of 27 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest