Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Polished shakudō tsuba with a shishi beneath a pine, signed by Yanagawa Naomasa, pupil of Yokoya Sōmin, with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu papers.
Tate-maru tsuba signed 柳川直政 (Yanagawa Naomasa) with his kaō, to the left of the seppa-dai. Naomasa (1692-1757) trained first with the Yoshioka and then under Yokoya Sōmin, and founded the Yanagawa branch, one of the most respected lines of the Yokoya tradition; his lions, following his master's example, made his name. The obverse shows a powerful shishi among curling clouds beneath pine branches; the reverse continues the scene with the pine trunk, rocks, grasses and flowing water. The ground is polished shakudō (migakiji); the lion is outlined in katakiribori and the pine needles in fine kebori. Kaku-mimi ko-niku rim with a thin gold edge and a single kozuka-hitsu. The photographs show an even blue-black patina, with no rust or knocks, and crisp carving. The NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper describes the piece as 松に獅子図鐔 (matsu ni shishi-zu tsuba), records the signature and mentions kin iroe. It is kept in a plain wooden box.
Strong points
- Genuine signature of Yanagawa Naomasa with kaō, confirmed by the paper
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper
- The shishi, the subject for which Naomasa is best known
- Polished shakudō with confident katakiribori and kebori
- Continuous scene from obverse to reverse
Points to bear in mind
- The paper does not date the piece; the period is inferred from the maker's dates
- The wooden box carries no inscription (no hakogaki)
Score
59.9 / 100
- Maker 19 of 25 Genuine signature of a known maker or school
- Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- Period 7 of 12 Mid-Edo (1688–1781)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 0.9 of 10 Rank 300 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.
Details
- Type
- Tsuba
- Maker
- Yanagawa Naomasa
- Period
- Mid-Edo (1688–1781)
- Material
- Shakudō, Gold
- Paper
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Signature
- Signed
- School
- Yanagawa
- Inscription
- 柳川直政 花押 (Yanagawa Naomasa kaō)
- Technique
- Katakiribori (bevelled chisel engraving), Kebori (line engraving), Migaki (burnished), Iroe (coloured inlay)
- Dating
- Mid-Edo period (18th century)
- Paper number
- 226093
- Paper date
- 18 October 2001
- Attribution on the paper
- 柳川直政 (Yanagawa Naomasa)