Kantei

NH-0942 Rank 19

Tsuba · Nobuie

信家 (Nobuie)

Mokkō-shaped iron tsuba signed 信家 (Nobuie), with landscape, figure and bamboo in sukidashibori; the NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper confirms the signature.

TsubaMomoyama (1573–1615)Momoyama period (late 16th century)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Iron tsuba of mokkō shape (木瓜形, mokkō-gata) with a folded rim (uchikaeshi-mimi), signed to the left of the central ana with the thick-stroke signature 信家 (Nobuie), the so-called futoji-mei. Nobuie, active in Owari province in the Momoyama period, is paired with Kaneie as one of the two masters who raised the iron tsuba to a work of art. The paper describes the piece as a landscape with figure and bamboo: on the front, bamboo stalks and leaves cross the upper part diagonally; on the back, peaks and trees form a Chinese-inspired landscape, a pictorial subject rarely seen in this master's work. The carving is in sukidashibori on a hammered iron ground (tsuchime-ji). One of the hitsu-ana is closed with a dark metal plug. The photographs show a stable black patina with no visible active rust and gentle, age-appropriate wear on the reliefs; brownish traces remain at the edge of the central ana, probably from former sekigane. According to the original seller it measures 76.3 × 72.2 mm, 4.6 mm thick. It comes in a kiri-wood box with a textile pouch. The NBTHK paper, Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu no. 2007711, dated 17 September 2021, accepts the signature as 信家 (Nobuie).

Strong points

  • Signature 信家 (Nobuie) confirmed by the NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper
  • Landscape with figure and bamboo, an unusual subject for Nobuie
  • Well-forged hammered iron carved in sukidashibori
  • Mokkō shape with uchikaeshi rim, characteristic of the master
  • Kiri-wood box and textile pouch

Points to bear in mind

  • One of the hitsu-ana is closed with a metal plug
  • Brownish traces at the edge of the central ana, probably from former sekigane
  • Nobuie's signature is among the most copied; here it is backed by the paper

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.

  1. Maker 25 of 25 Genuine signature of a first-rank master, confirmed by the paper
  2. Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable work
  3. Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
  4. Period 11 of 12 Momoyama (1573–1615)
  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 0.7 of 10 Rank 211 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest