Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Iron tsuba with a shishi beneath a waterfall in sukidashi takabori with gold inlay, signed by Kansai Fumio, a pupil of Kanō Natsuo, with an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.
Iron tsuba of tate-marugata (竪丸形) shape, signed on the obverse beside the central ana 寛斎文雄鐫 (Kansai Fumio sen). According to the original seller, Fumio became a pupil of Kanō Natsuo in 1889 and later carried on his family workshop. The obverse depicts a shishi beneath a waterfall, bakka shishi-zu (瀑下獅子図): the beast, its mane rendered in finely chiselled spirals, strides among rocks and water, with clouds above and bamboo leaves; the eyes, fangs, a few blossoms and the drops of water are inlaid in gold. The reverse continues the scene with waves and spray, likewise highlighted in gold. The paper describes the technique as sukidashi takabori (鋤出高彫) with zōgan iroe (象嵌色絵) and a sukinokoshi-mimi (鋤残耳) rim. The photographs show a dark, even iron surface with no red rust, knocks or noticeable loss of gold. Dimensions according to the original seller: 72.2 × 67.5 mm, 4 mm thick at the seppa-dai. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper no. 2009409, dated 4 April 2023, which accepts the signature.
Strong points
- Signature 寛斎文雄鐫 (Kansai Fumio sen) accepted by an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper (2023).
- Maker from the school of Kanō Natsuo, according to the original seller.
- Shishi with a spiralling mane and gold eyes and fangs, in sukidashi takabori.
- The scene continues on the reverse with waves and spray highlighted in gold.
- The photographs show no red rust, knocks or loss of gold.
Points to bear in mind
- The paper gives no period. The original seller places it between late Edo and early Meiji, but the biography he provides (born 1869, pupil of Natsuo from 1889) points to Meiji or slightly later.
- The wooden box seen in one photograph shows no inscription; the listing does not mention a hakogaki.
Score
56.8 / 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 3 of 12 Meiji (1868–1912)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 1.8 of 10 Rank 270 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
- Kansai Fumio
- Period
- Meiji (1868–1912)
- Material
- Iron, Gold
- Paper
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Signature
- Signed
- School
- Natsuo
- Inscription
- 寛斎文雄鐫 (Kansai Fumio)
- Technique
- Takabori (high relief), Zōgan (inlay), Iroe (coloured inlay), Kebori (line engraving)
- Dating
- Meiji period (late 19th – early 20th century)
- Paper number
- 2009409
- Paper date
- 4 April 2023
- Attribution on the paper
- 寛斎文雄鐫 (Kansai Fumio sen)