Kantei

NH-0990 Rank 350

Tsuba · Nishigaki school (Higo)

Iron openwork tsuba with the paulownia (kiri) motif, unsigned and attributed by its NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper to the Nishigaki school of Higo.

TsubaLate Edo (1781–1868)Edo period (17th–19th century)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Unsigned (mumei) iron tsuba attributed by its NBTHK paper to the Nishigaki school, one of the Higo lineages, founded in the 17th century by Nishigaki Kanshirō, a pupil of Hirata Hikozō who worked for the Hosokawa clan. Of tate-marugata shape, barely taller than wide (8.61 × 8.33 cm and 107.3 g according to the original seller), with a rounded rim (maru-mimi), it depicts the paulownia (kiri) in nikubori ji-sukashi openwork: the plate around the central opening spreads into three large leaves below and flower sprays above, joined to the rim at only a few points. The leaf veins are finely engraved in kebori, and the iron shows a granular surface with a dark patina. The photographs show both faces, the rim and several angled views: the patina is stable, with no active red rust and no cracks, and only light wear on the rim. The central ana carries copper sekigane at top and bottom. It comes in a silk-lined wooden box with no visible inscription. The Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper, no. 2009156, dated 22 December 2022 (Reiwa 4), describes it as 桐透鐔 (kiri-sukashi tsuba), 無銘 (mumei), 西垣 (Nishigaki).

Strong points

  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2022)
  • Attributed by the paper to the Nishigaki school of Higo
  • Classic paulownia motif in nikubori ji-sukashi openwork
  • Stable dark patina, no active rust or cracks
  • Supplied in a silk-lined wooden box

Points to bear in mind

  • Unsigned: the paper attributes it to the school, not to a named maker
  • Copper sekigane in the central ana, the upper one somewhat irregular
  • The paper gives no specific date; placed generically in the Edo period

Score breakdown

47.2/100

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 9 of 25 Attributed to a school only
  2. Workmanship 10 of 20 Good work
  3. Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
  4. Period 5 of 12 Late Edo (1781–1868)
  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 5.2 of 10 Rank 111 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest