Kantei

NH-0971 Rank 163

Tsuba · Nishigaki Kanpei

西垣勘平 (Nishigaki Kanpei)

Openwork iron tsuba with scattered crest motifs, signed by Nishigaki Kanpei at the age of 72, Nishigaki school of Higo, 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

Iron tsuba of tatemaru shape (round, slightly taller than wide), worked in ji-sukashi openwork: a slender rim with a rounded edge encloses scattered crest motifs — five-petalled flowers, a hanabishi, a serrated leaf, a square form and lobed silhouettes — joined to the seppa-dai. The details of leaves and petals are engraved in kebori. It is the work of Nishigaki Kanpei of the Nishigaki school of Higo province, who according to the original seller was the younger brother of the second generation and excelled at iron openwork. The signature recorded on the paper reads 西垣勘平作 (Nishigaki Kanpei saku) and 七十二歳 (nanajūni-sai), meaning made at the age of 72. The photographs show a stable dark patina on both faces and the rim, with no active rust or cracks, a few fine handling marks on the seppa-dai and a copper sekigane in the central opening. Dimensions per the original seller: 7.6 × 7.2 cm, 91 g. The 2019 NBTHK paper classes it as Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu and describes a polished iron ground, openwork, kebori and a rounded rim. It comes in a fabric-lined wooden box.

Strong points

  • Signed by Nishigaki Kanpei, with the maker's age (72)
  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2019)
  • Clean ji-sukashi openwork with kebori details
  • Stable dark patina, no active rust

Points to bear in mind

  • The signature is not legible in the photographs; its reading comes from the paper
  • The piece is undated: the period is inferred from the maker's lineage
  • Fine handling marks on the seppa-dai and a copper sekigane in the central opening

Score breakdown

58.4/100

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 19 of 25 Genuine signature of a known maker or school
  2. Workmanship 10 of 20 Good work
  3. Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
  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 4.4 of 10 Rank 127 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest