NH-0500 Rank 300
Kozuka · Gotō
Unsigned kozuka attributed to the Gotō school, with an omoto plant in high relief of shakudō and gold on a nanako ground. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Unsigned (mumei) kozuka attributed by its paper to the Gotō school (後藤, Gotō), the line of metalworkers that set the official taste in samurai sword fittings throughout the Edo period. It depicts an omoto plant (万年青, omoto; Rohdea japonica), an evergreen associated with longevity and prosperity: long, undulating leaves in high-relief shakudō, clusters of berries in gold and a fine tendril in white metal, probably silver. The ground is shakudō with fine, even nanako; the reverse, in polished shakudō, bears a diagonal band of gold foil, and the upper edge is gilt. The photographs show crisp nanako, intact gold and an even black patina, with a few fine handling scratches on the reverse. The NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper, dated 14 July 2023, describes it as shakudō nanako-ji with takabori, iroe and zōgan iroe. The original seller gives dimensions of 9.56 × 1.39 cm, places it in the Edo period and supplies it in a kiri wood box.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2023) attributing it to the Gotō school
- Shakudō ground with fine, even nanako
- Omoto motif in takabori with gold berries, a symbol of longevity
- Polished shakudō reverse with a band of gold foil
- Gold and patina in good order according to the photographs
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: a school attribution, not the signed work of a specific master
- The paper does not date the piece; late Edo is a stylistic inference
- A few fine handling scratches on the reverse
- Only two photographs, of medium size
Score breakdown
50.4/100
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.
- Maker 9 of 25 Attributed to a school only
- Workmanship 10 of 20 Good 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 8.4 of 10 Rank 10 of 59 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest