NH-0976 Rank 295
Tsuba · Owari
Unsigned iron tsuba of the Owari school, pierced with twelve rings of crest emblems (bukan design), with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Unsigned iron tsuba attributed by its papers to the Owari school, one of the great centres of pierced iron work. The papers describe it as 四方武鑑透鐔 (shihō bukan sukashi tsuba): a guard pierced with motifs drawn from the heraldic crest directories, set in twelve rings around the seppa-dai. Each ring holds a different emblem (a character, lozenges, tomoe, arrows, leaves) in a symmetrical composition of thick, assured lines that is very characteristic of Owari. The piercing is positive (ji-sukashi), with a square rim of modest volume, and the papers also mention kebori details. The photographs show an even, dark iron patina with no active rust or cracks; the central opening carries copper sekigane and both hitsu-ana are filled with polished plates of dark metal. The original seller gives a weight of 112 g and dimensions of 7.82 × 7.88 cm. NBTHK papers 特別保存刀装具 (Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu), dated 17 September 2021, with the attribution 無銘 尾張 (mumei Owari). Supplied in a plain wooden box without inscription.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu papers (2021)
- Twelve-ring bukan design with crest emblems, symmetrical and balanced
- Iron piercing with thick, assured lines, typical of Owari
- Even dark patina, no active rust or cracks
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: attributed to the school, not to an individual maker
- Copper sekigane with irregular edges in the central opening
- Hitsu-ana filled with later plugs
- The dating is a stylistic estimate; the papers do not state a period
Score breakdown
50.6/100
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 9 of 25 Attributed to a school only
- Workmanship 10 of 20 Good work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- Period 7 of 12 Mid-Edo (1688–1781)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 6.6 of 10 Rank 78 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest