NH-0966 Rank 185
Tsuba · Ishiyama Tomofusa
石山友房 (Ishiyama Tomofusa)
Round iron tsuba pierced as an itomaki spool with silver nunome hailstones, signed by Ishiyama Tomofusa of Akita, with Tokubetsu Hozon papers and an inscribed box.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Marugata iron tsuba signed 羽州秋田住石山友房 (Ushū Akita-jū Ishiyama Tomofusa), a craftsman of Akita in the former province of Ugo. The positive openwork leaves an itomaki, the thread spool, at the centre, joined to a rounded rim (maru-mimi) by four points. The entire surface is cross-hatched to take silver nunome inlay in discs of varying size that evoke scattered hailstones (arare). The papers describe the piece as pierced and carved in relief with silver nunome inlay. The photographs show iron with a dark brown, stable patina and no active rust; the silver survives over most of the plate, with losses along parts of the rim. The signature, chiselled on both sides of the central opening, is fine and shallow. It comes with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers issued in 2016 and a wooden box bearing a hakogaki signed "Kanzan" that calls the tsuba 珍品 (chinpin, "a rare piece"). The original seller dates it to the late Edo period.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers (2016) confirming the signature
- Graphic pierced itomaki design with silver nunome hailstones
- Signed work of the provincial Akita school
- Box with a hakogaki signed "Kanzan"
Points to bear in mind
- Silver nunome lost or worn along parts of the rim
- Fine, shallow signature, hard to read in the photographs
- Period given by the original seller; neither the piece nor the papers are dated
Score breakdown
57.3/100
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 19 of 25 Genuine signature of a known maker or school
- Workmanship 10 of 20 Good work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- Period 5 of 12 Late Edo (1781–1868)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 2 of 5 Adds: box inscribed by an expert (hakogaki)
- Price 3.3 of 10 Rank 152 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest