NH-0996 Rank 231
Tsuba · Ko-Tōshō
Round, unsigned iron tsuba pierced with the silhouette of a bat (kōmori), attributed to the Ko-Tōshō school by an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
An unsigned, 無銘 (mumei), swordsmith-style tsuba which the NBTHK paper attributes to the 古刀匠 (Ko-Tōshō) school, the early smiths who made plain, sturdy iron guards. The plate is round (marugata), of iron with subtle file marks, 鉄時雨鑢地 (tetsu shigure-yasuri-ji), and a rounded rim, 丸耳 (maru-mimi). The motif is a bat with outspread wings, cut out in silhouette in the upper part of the plate, a piercing the paper calls 陰透 (kage-sukashi): the design is formed by the void. There is a single hitsu-ana, filled with a pale metal plug with a hammered surface, and copper sekigane at the base of the central opening. According to the original seller it measures 9.2 × 9.12 cm, is 0.27 cm thick at the seppa-dai and weighs 116.3 g. The photographs show a dark, stable patina with a few small old pits and no active rust or cracks. It comes with NBTHK paper 特別保存刀装具 (Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu) no. 2004552, dated 16 March 2018, and a plain wooden box.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper (2018) attributing it to the Ko-Tōshō school
- Bat (kōmori) piercing, an auspicious motif, in a clean and balanced design
- Iron with shigure-yasuri file marks and maru-mimi rim
- Stable dark patina, no active rust or cracks
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: the attribution is to a school, not to a specific maker
- Hitsu-ana filled with a pale metal plug added during use
- Copper sekigane in the central opening
- A few small old pits on the surface
Score breakdown
54.3/100
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 12 of 12 Muromachi or earlier (before 1573)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 5.3 of 10 Rank 107 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest