Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Irregular iron tsuba with two shishi in high relief and inlaid gold spots, signed 江川利政 (Egawa Toshimasa) with kaō, Yokoya circle, late Edo period.
Tsuba signed 江川利政 (Egawa Toshimasa) with his kaō, cut into the seppa-dai beside the central opening. According to the original seller, Toshimasa was born in 1774, trained under the first Yokoya Eisei and later became heir to the house of Katsura Eiju; his work follows the Yokoya tradition of Edo. The guard, of iron in an irregular shape (kawarigata), depicts two shishi coiled in a whirl, one above and one below, among spiralling clouds and flowing locks of mane, with openwork leaving space between the figures. The photographs show high, vigorous relief, sharply defined claws and fierce faces, with the carving carried through on both sides. The bodies bear round spots of inlaid gold; the seller specifies reddish gold above and aokin, a paler gold, below. It measures 76.5 × 72.8 mm, 5 mm thick at the seppa-dai. No cracks, knocks or missing inlay are visible in the photographs. The original seller declares an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper and a fitted kiri box.
Strong points
- Signed 江川利政 (Egawa Toshimasa) with kaō
- Two shishi carved in high relief in iron, in a whirling composition
- Spots inlaid in two tones of gold
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper declared by the original seller
- Fitted kiri box
Points to bear in mind
- The paper does not appear in the photographs; it rests only on the original seller's statement.
- The listing does not mention a hakogaki: the box carries no expert inscription.
Score
58.2 / 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 5 of 12 Late Edo (1781–1868)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 1.2 of 10 Rank 296 of 338 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
- Egawa Toshimasa
- Period
- Late Edo (1781–1868)
- Material
- Iron, Gold
- Paper
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Signature
- Signed
- School
- Yokoya
- Inscription
- 江川利政（花押） (Egawa Toshimasa)
- Technique
- Takabori (high relief), Zōgan (inlay), Sukashi (openwork)
- Dating
- Late Edo period (19th century)