NH-0936 Rank 20
Tsuba · Nobuie
信家 (Nobuie)
Iron tsuba signed Nobuie, pierced with floral motifs on a hammered ground, with an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper accepting the signature.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Iron tsuba of upright oval form (tate-maru), signed 信家 (Nobuie) on the seppa-dai of the front face, in the loose calligraphy the original seller identifies as hanare-mei. Nobuie, active in Owari, stands with Kaneie as one of the two great masters of the iron tsuba in the Momoyama period. The plate is pierced in negative silhouette (kage-sukashi) with petals and flowers on either side of the central opening, over a strongly expressive hammered surface (tsuchime-ji) and a folded rim (uchikaeshi-mimi); fine line engraving (kebori) is visible in the upper part of the front. The original seller links the motif to the rosary and to so-called kirishitan tsuba, citing the study by Katsuya Shun'ichi and related plates from the Nakamura Kakudayū repertory, whose pages are reproduced in the photographs. The photographs show a black, stable patina with no active rust or cracks. The NBTHK paper, issued in 2021, grades it Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu with the signature Nobuie. Dimensions according to the original seller: 8.3 × 7.9 cm, 0.5 cm thick. Presented in an uninscribed wooden box.
Strong points
- Nobuie signature accepted by the NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper
- Strongly characterful hammered iron, typical of the master
- Negative floral piercing with a possible Christian reading documented in the literature
- Stable black patina, no active rust
Points to bear in mind
- The rosary reading of the motif is an interpretation by the original seller and the literature, not by the paper
- The paper gives no period; Momoyama is inferred from the maker
- The rim is only visible in one oblique photograph
Score breakdown
69.7/100
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.
- Maker 25 of 25 Genuine signature of a first-rank master, confirmed by the paper
- Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- Period 11 of 12 Momoyama (1573–1615)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 0.7 of 10 Rank 213 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest