NH-0977 Rank 286
Tsuba · Kumagai school
Unsigned iron mokkō tsuba attributed by its Tokubetsu Hozon paper to the Kumagai school, with paulownia and chrysanthemum in relief and gold inlay.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Iron tsuba of mokkō (four-lobed) shape, unsigned, attributed by its NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper to the Kumagai school, a workshop retained by the Hosokawa of Higo that reworked Higo-style carving with generous use of gold and silver on iron. The theme is kiku-kiri: on the obverse, paulownia sprays in inlaid gold over a hammered (tsuchime) ground carved with rocks and foliage, and small gold-outlined blossoms beside the seppa-dai; on the reverse, a large chrysanthemum in relief surrounds the central opening and a gold scroll crowns the design. The rim is sukinokoshi-mimi, with two small piercings at the bottom and plugged hitsu-ana. According to the original seller it measures 8.6 × 7.9 cm, 0.4 cm at the seppa-dai, and weighs 141 g; the seller also describes nunome and suritsuke gold work. The photographs show dark, stable iron patina with no active rust, the gold largely intact, and copper sekigane in the central opening. It comes with a wooden box with no visible inscription.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper
- Kiku-kiri theme: gold paulownia on the obverse, large carved chrysanthemum on the reverse
- Hammered iron with well-preserved gold inlay
- Mokkō shape with sukinokoshi-mimi rim
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: the paper attributes it to the Kumagai school, not to a specific maker
- Copper sekigane in the central opening
- The certificate appears only in one low-resolution photograph; number and date are not legible
Score breakdown
51/100
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 5 of 12 Late Edo (1781–1868)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 9 of 10 Rank 24 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest