NH-0986 Rank 345
Tsuba · Kaga
Unsigned tsuba attributed to Kaga, in polished suaka with a kaizukushi of seashells in shakudō and gold hira-zōgan and a gold fukurin. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Unsigned tsuba attributed to Kaga by an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper issued on 2 May 2008; Kaga is the inlay school associated with the domain of the same name. The plate is nadekaku-gata, a square with rounded corners, in suaka (copper) with a polished surface. The design is a kaizukushi, an assembly of seashells —conches, clams and bivalves— in shakudō hira-zōgan, with gold dots and strokes and discs of textured copper, over fine waves engraved in kebori. Both hitsu-ana are filled with gold with a striated finish, and the rim carries a gold fukurin of the same texture. The photographs show both faces and the edge: the copper patina is warm and even, the inlays are complete and the gold keeps its lustre; a few small dark spots are visible, and the rim of the central opening is irregular, with hammered metal or fitting plugs. According to the original seller it measures 7.19 × 6.87 cm, 0.39 cm thick at the seppa-dai, and weighs 127.6 g. It comes in a plain wooden box without inscription.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper with attribution to Kaga
- Kaizukushi of seashells in shakudō and gold hira-zōgan
- Gold-filled hitsu-ana and gold fukurin
- Warm, even suaka patina with complete inlays
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: a school attribution, not a maker
- Irregular rim of the central opening, with hammered metal or fitting plugs
- A few small dark spots on the copper ground
- The paper does not state the period; late Edo is a stylistic estimate
Score breakdown
47.5/100
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 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 5.5 of 10 Rank 104 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest