Nobuie Tsuba

[Steve Waszak]

Offered here is a fascinating iron tsuba, signed Nobuie and very much in the vogue of the early masters of this lofty name.  I doubt with some confidence that this piece is one actually made by the Nidai Nobuie, though the mei here is quite close to the "Futoji-mei" of the Nidai.  The workmanship is excellent, featuring lightly engraved amida-yasuri as a backdrop for the bolder carving of several kiri-mon on the omote, and vines and leaves on the ura.  The guard is notable and striking for a few different reasons.  One of these is the deep yohkan color tightly associated with Nobuie, and apparently not easy to mimic, as it is not commonly encountered outside of Nobuie work.  It is a color highly valued by many Japanese collectors.  Additionally, the tsuba is quite thick, at almost/about 6mm, and is heavy in hand.  The shape of the sword guard is one that the Nobuie smiths used with some frequency, especially the Nidai, and the fact that the piece is ubu (no hitsu-ana) adds a lot to the presentation of the motif and to the tsuba overall.  Yakite work is more pronounced on the ura than on the omote, enhancing the beauty of that side, especially.  The color and yakite are complemented by the tsuba's fine, natural patina, and by its excellent condition, as well as by gentlly-expressive tekkotsu in the rim.  

 

I think this piece is most likely an early-Edo (pre-1640) work, mostly likely created by a top student in an early-Edo atelier.  The details noted above speak to a strong Nidai influence, and the mei is certainly much closer to his than it is to the Shodai's.  This is a really good tsuba with a lot of presence, owing to its thickness, weight, color, shape, motif, treatment, and condition.  Dimensions are 8cm x 7cm x 5.5 - 6mm.  If I'm wrong, and this IS a Nidai Nobuie tsuba, whoever gets it is getting an all-time bargain.  If you've ever wanted a real Nobuie-type swordguard but have been put off by the $five-figure prices they command, this is a real chance.  *Note:  I have no idea if the tsuba has been submitted to shinsa.  $1,450, plus shipping.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Wictor]

PM sent 👍

[Steve Waszak]

Tsuba is SOLD.