Kantei

NH-0931 Rank 197

Tsuba · Umetada Shigeyoshi

梅忠七左衛門橘重義 (Umetada Shichizaemon Tachibana Shigeyoshi)

Round pierced iron tsuba with four relief roundels, paulownia flowers on the front and plants of the four seasons on the back, signed by Umetada Shigeyoshi and with an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.

TsubaMid-Edo (1688–1781)Mid-Edo period (18th century)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Round (marugata) iron tsuba with a rounded rim (maru-mimi), signed on both sides of the central ana 梅忠七左衛門 橘重義作 (Umetada Shichizaemon Tachibana Shigeyoshi saku). The original seller presents the maker as an Umetada school artisan working in Kyoto in the mid-Edo period. The design, which the paper titles 花桐四季花弁透図 (hanagiri shiki kaben sukashi-zu), pierces away the ground and reduces the plate to an outer ring and four roundels: on the front, paulownia (kiri) flowers and leaves; on the back, plants of the four seasons, among them plum blossom, peony, dwarf bamboo and maple. Each roundel is carved in relief with a different treatment and kebori leaf veins, and is framed by nunome-zōgan bands with fret and scroll patterns, described by the paper as gold and silver. The photographs show iron with a dark, stable patina and no active rust, and nunome partly lost on several roundels. According to the original seller it measures 87.2 × 86.1 mm, 4.1 mm thick and 123 g, and comes in a fitted paulownia box. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper no. 2003762, dated 8 November 2016, which accepts the signature.

Strong points

  • Full signature 梅忠七左衛門 橘重義作 (Umetada Shichizaemon Tachibana Shigeyoshi saku), accepted by the paper
  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2016)
  • Pierced composition of four roundels, each with its own motif
  • Varied relief carving with kebori veins and gold nunome borders

Points to bear in mind

  • The nunome-zōgan is partly lost on several roundels
  • The dating comes from the original seller; the paper does not state it
  • Small fitting irregularities on the edges of the central ana

Score breakdown

56.6/100

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 19 of 25 Genuine signature of a known maker or school
  2. Workmanship 10 of 20 Good work
  3. Condition 9 of 18 Visible wear
  4. Period 7 of 12 Mid-Edo (1688–1781)
  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 7.6 of 10 Rank 56 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest