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The piece

Round iron tsuba signed 間 (Hazama), with kaji leaves in sahari inlay highlighted with flat gold and a broken fan on the reverse. Mid-Edo according to the original seller.

Marugata iron tsuba signed 間 (Hazama) on the reverse, beside the central ana. According to the original seller, the Hazama school arose among the Kunitomo gunsmiths of Ōmi province and brought to sword fittings the inlay used to decorate gun barrels; it worked at Kameyama in Ise province. The design is 梶葉紋破扇 (kaji-ba-mon hasen): on the obverse, three kaji (paper mulberry) leaves in sahari inlay, an alloy melted into the recessed ground, with its typical pitted surface and bright touches of flat gold inlay (hirazōgan); on the reverse, a broken fan with its radiating ribs and leafy sprays in gold. The photographs show a tightly forged iron plate articulated by eight ridges radiating from the centre, a structure described by the original seller that gives relief to the whole plate. It measures 78 × 77 mm, 5.5 mm thick at the seppa-dai, according to the seller. In the photographs the condition is good: no active rust or visible knocks, the gold intact, and fillers (sekigane) in the central ana. The original seller states a Tokubetsu Hozon paper from the NBTHK and a fitted paulownia box.

Strong points

  • Signed 間 (Hazama)
  • Sahari inlay with its characteristic pitted texture
  • Flat gold contrasting with the dark green sahari
  • Iron plate articulated by eight radiating ridges
  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper stated by the original seller

Points to bear in mind

  • The paper does not appear in the photographs; its level is the one stated by the original seller.
  • The mid-Edo dating comes from the original seller; the piece is not dated.
  • Fillers (sekigane) in the central ana.
  • No photograph of the rim.

Score

57.6 / 100

  1. Maker 19 of 25 Genuine signature of a known maker or school
  2. Workmanship 10 of 20 Good 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 3.6 of 10 Rank 210 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
Hazama
Period
Mid-Edo (1688–1781)
Material
Iron, Gold, Other material
Paper
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
Signature
Signed
School
間 (Hazama)
Inscription
間 (Hazama)
Technique
Zōgan (inlay), Kebori (line engraving), Other technique
Dating
Mid-Edo period (18th century)

€4,100Shipping and taxes included

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