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Photographs by the seller at origin.

The piece

Shakudō tsuba signed by Sōten of Hikone, with autumn grasses in relief and gold and silver inlay; NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.

Shakudō tsuba signed 江州彦根住藻柄子宗典製 (Gōshū Hikone-jū Sōheishi Sōten sei), the work of Sōten, the metalsmith of Hikone in Ōmi province who gave his name to the Hikone-bori school. It has a kurikomi mokkō shape and two open hitsu-ana with lobed outlines. The theme is akikusa (autumn grasses): chrysanthemums, five-petalled flowers and clusters among foliage, carved in sukidashi-bori on the shakudō ground, with gold and silver iroe and kebori details. A beaded border runs along the outline and the openings, and the side edges carry gilt plates with floral relief on a nanako ground. The original seller presents it as a copy (utsushi) of a Ko-Mino tsuba, unlike the figure scenes usual for the school, and places it in the mid-Edo period, in the Kyōhō era. The photographs show the gold and silver intact on the high points and the rubbing typical of use on the seppa-dai. Stated dimensions: 70.1 × 63.3 mm, 5.5 mm thick, 127 g. It comes with an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (no. 228759, 24 February 2019) recording the signature.

Strong points

  • Sōten signature confirmed by the NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper
  • Autumn grasses in sukidashi-bori with gold and silver iroe
  • Homage to the Ko-Mino style, unusual for the Hikone-bori school
  • Side edges with gilt relief plates on a nanako ground

Points to bear in mind

  • The dating comes from the original seller's listing; the paper does not state it
  • Wear from use on the seppa-dai and small fillings (sekigane) in the central opening
  • The original seller mentions a fitted paulownia box; the listing does not mention hakogaki

Score

61.2 / 100

  1. Maker 19 of 25 Genuine signature of a known maker or school
  2. Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable work
  3. Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
  4. Period 7 of 12 Mid-Edo (1688–1781)
  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 2.2 of 10 Rank 258 of 330 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest

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.

Type
Tsuba
Maker
Sōten
Period
Mid-Edo (1688–1781)
Material
Shakudō, Gold, Silver
Paper
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
Signature
Signed
School
Hikone-bori (Sōten)
Inscription
江州彦根住藻柄子宗典製 (Gōshū Hikone-jū Sōheishi Sōten sei)
Technique
Takabori (high relief), Iroe (coloured inlay), Kebori (line engraving), Nanako (fish-roe ground)
Dating
Mid-Edo period (18th century)
Paper number
228759
Paper date
24 February 2019
Attribution on the paper
銘 江州彦根住藻柄子宗典製 (mei Gōshū Hikone-jū Sōheishi Sōten sei)

€5,460Shipping and taxes included

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