Kantei

NH-0943 Rank 50

Tsuba · Gotō Ichijō (Hakuō)

伯応 (Hakuō)

Polished iron tsuba with plum and bamboo, signed Hakuō with kaō, a late art name of Gotō Ichijō; NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper accepting the signature.

TsubaLate Edo (1781–1868)Late Edo period (mid-19th century)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Nadekaku-gata tsuba (square with rounded corners) in iron with a polished surface, depicting the theme Saikan niga-zu, “the two elegant companions of winter cold”. On one face a flowering plum branch runs around the rim in softly modelled sunken relief; on the other a bamboo is rendered in katakiribori chiselling and kebori line engraving. The signature, Hakuō with its kaō (monogram), is cut in cursive script on the bamboo face. Hakuō is one of the art names used in his final years by Gotō Ichijō (1791–1876), the leading figure of the Gotō school in late Edo, for iron works of literati taste. The rim is uchikaeshi-mimi. The NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper, dated January 2015, accepts the signature without reservation. According to the original seller, the piece is published in Tsuba shūsei; the photographs include the page, where it appears as number 98 in the section on Ichijō’s school. It measures 77.1 × 73 mm and 4 mm thick according to the original seller. The studio photographs show an even patina, with no active rust or visible knocks. It is kept in a wooden box with a handwritten inscription on the lid.

Strong points

  • Signed Hakuō with kaō, a late art name of Gotō Ichijō, accepted by the paper
  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2015)
  • Published in Tsuba shūsei (no. 98)
  • Plum and bamboo in polished iron, with a different carving manner on each face
  • Wooden box with an inscription on the lid

Points to bear in mind

  • Under direct light the recent photographs give the plum face a pale grey tone not seen in the studio images; worth examining in hand
  • The rim is not photographed in close-up
  • The author of the box inscription has not been identified

Score breakdown

64.4/100

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 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 1.4 of 10 Rank 196 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest