The works of Nobuie are famous because his works forged an absolutely new path in the artistry of tsuba making. His tsuba are strong, masculine, and even considered to be somewhat clumsy. They are thick and strong, made with well forged heavy dense iron. In short, as it has been stated above, he “perfected imperfection” with his works.
The tsuba presented here today is a wonderful of his example of his working style. It is oval in shape, measuring 2.71 inches (6.9 cm) by 2.47 inches (6.3 cm). It has a uchikaeshi-mimi (rim turned back by hammering), tsuchime finish (hammered), and kebori (thin line carvings). The thickness at the mimi (edge) is a whopping 0.27 inches or 0.7 cm with the plate slightly sloping at the center (nakago ana). There is one hitsu-ana and it is lined with a piece of heavy gold that has been incised with delicate file marks. What makes this Nobuie tsuba so special is that the kebori carving are not just the usual geometric designs. On the right side of the omote (front) of the tsuba is a full length standing figure of a man dressed in Nanban style pantaloons. On the left side of the omote is a characterized figure of another man who is seemingly waving his outstretched arm. There are various kebori drawings of plants on the reverse. I have never seen another Nobuiye tsuba with carvings such as these. It is amazing!
The metal has a denseness to it that gives it a weight much heavier than one would expect by simple observation. It is signed “Nobuie” with the Hanare Mei style signature that is generally attributed to the first generation. This would put this tsuba round 1570.
This tsuba comes in a fitted wooden box with a custom made cloth cover. It has NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers which attest to the validity of the signature and the quality and rarity of the work.
PRICE: $19,750.00
