Kantei

NH-0930 Rank 42

Tsuba · Ko-Mino

Unsigned shakudō nanako tsuba with autumn grasses in takabori and gold, attributed to the Ko-Mino school and designated Jūyō Kodōgu by the NBTHK in 1975.

TsubaMomoyama (1573–1615)Late Muromachi to Momoyama period (16th century)NBTHK Jūyō Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Unsigned tsuba attributed by the NBTHK to the Ko-Mino school and designated Jūyō Kodōgu (today Jūyō Tōsōgu) at the 23rd session, on 1 July 1975. The theme is akikusa, the grasses and flowers of autumn: chrysanthemums, five-petalled blossoms and slender leaves carved in almost vertical takabori on a shakudō ground of very even nanako. Many of the flowers and leaves carry gold applied in uttori-iroe, with veins and petals cut in kebori; others are left in black shakudō, giving depth to the design. The shape is roku-mokkō, with six openings in inome form, and both hitsu-ana are plugged. According to the paper it measures 8.3 × 7.6 cm, with a rim thickness of 0.45 cm. The designation text places it between the end of Muromachi and Momoyama, notes that its style derives from tachi guards, and describes its painstaking workmanship as courtly in taste. In the photographs the gold is intact on the raised areas, the nanako is crisp and no knocks or losses are visible; small copper sekigane show in the central opening. The original seller states that the piece was illustrated on the cover and on page 33 of the catalogue of a special exhibition of Mino-bori held in 1993, and that it comes in its fitted paulownia box.

Strong points

  • Designated Jūyō Kodōgu by the NBTHK (23rd session, 1975), certificate photographed
  • Shakudō nanako with autumn grasses in takabori and gold in uttori-iroe
  • Roku-mokkō shape with six inome openings, dense and balanced composition
  • Gold and relief intact in the photographs
  • Illustrated, according to the original seller, on the cover of a 1993 exhibition catalogue

Points to bear in mind

  • Unsigned: the attribution is to the Ko-Mino school, not to a named maker
  • The paper dates it within a range, from late Muromachi to Momoyama
  • Plugged hitsu-ana and small copper sekigane in the central opening
  • The 1993 catalogue publication is the seller's statement; the catalogue itself is not photographed

Score breakdown

66.2/100

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 20 of 20 Exceptional work
  3. Condition 18 of 18 Excellent condition
  4. Period 11 of 12 Momoyama (1573–1615)
  5. Paper 8 of 10 NBTHK Jūyō Tōsōgu
  6. Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
  7. Price 0.2 of 10 Rank 224 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest