NH-0978 Rank 278
Tsuba · Owari
Pierced iron tsuba of the Owari school, with two balance weights (fundō) facing left and right, unsigned and with an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Iron tsuba of tatemaru shape (round, slightly taller than wide), unsigned and attributed by the paper to the Owari school, one of the two great centres of pierced ironwork alongside Kyō-sukashi. The design, which the paper titles 左右分銅透鐔 (sayū fundō sukashi tsuba), shows two fundō, the weights of a merchant's balance, facing each other left and right and joined to the rim by curved arms, in a symmetrical composition very typical of the school. The iron has a hammered surface (tsuchime-ji), positive openwork (ji-sukashi) and a rounded rim (maru-mimi), with thick, confidently drawn arms. The photographs show both faces and the edge with a stable dark patina, no visible active rust, and copper sekigane in the central opening. Measurements according to the original seller: 8.1 × 7.9 cm, 0.6 cm thick at the seppadai, 99 g. The NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper is dated 2020. It comes in a lined wooden box.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2020), attributed to Owari
- Symmetrical composition of two fundō, a classic of the school
- Hammered iron with a stable dark patina
- Thick, firm openwork arms and rounded rim
Points to bear in mind
- Mumei: a school attribution, not a signature
- Copper sekigane in the central opening
- The period is inferred from style; the paper does not state it
Score breakdown
51.5/100
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 9 of 12 Early Edo (1615–1688)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 5.5 of 10 Rank 103 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest