Kantei

NH-0507 Rank 12

Fuchi-kashira · Gotō Mitsutaka

後藤光孝 (Gotō Mitsutaka)

Shakudō nanako fuchi-kashira with gold roosters in high relief, signed by Gotō Mitsutaka, 13th head of the main Gotō line. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.

Fuchi-kashiraMid-Edo (1688–1781)Mid-Edo period (18th century)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

A fuchi-kashira with a rooster theme (鶏図, niwatori-zu). It is signed on the fuchi plate 後藤光孝 (Gotō Mitsutaka) with his kaō (花押). Mitsutaka, whose Buddhist name was Enjō, led the main Gotō line as its thirteenth head from 1742 for about forty years, and he is one of the great names of the school that supplied the shogunal house. Three solid gold roosters are applied in high relief on a finely and evenly punched shakudō nanako ground: two on the fuchi, facing each other mid-fight with open wings, and one on the kashira, curled in on itself. The plumage is engraved with a fine, precise chisel line. The fuchi plate is copper and the shitodome-ana of the kashira has a silver ring. The photographs show the piece in very good condition, with crisp nanako, no loss of gold and a black patina that looks original; the only marks are fine hairlines on the inner faces. The original seller gives the fuchi as 37.2 mm. The NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper no. 2006849, dated 25 August 2020, records it as 赤銅魚子地 金紋 (shakudō nanako-ji kinmon) and accepts the signature without reservation. The original seller states that it comes in a paulownia box.

Strong points

  • Signed by Gotō Mitsutaka, 13th head of the main Gotō line
  • Signature confirmed by the NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper
  • Three solid gold roosters in high relief with chiselled plumage
  • Fine, even shakudō nanako typical of the Gotō school
  • Very good condition, with gold and patina intact

Points to bear in mind

  • Fine hairline scratches on the copper fuchi plate and inside the kashira
  • Undated: the period is inferred from the years the maker was active

Score breakdown

71.7/100

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.

  1. Maker 25 of 25 Genuine signature of a first-rank master, confirmed by the paper
  2. Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable work
  3. Condition 18 of 18 Excellent 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 2.7 of 10 Rank 20 of 27 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest