NH-0508 Rank 45
Tsuba · Gotō Ryūjō
後藤隆乗 (Gotō Ryūjō)
Shakudō tsuba with a nanako ground and mandarin ducks (oshidori) in takabori with gold, copper and silver accents, signed by Gotō Ryūjō and papered Tokubetsu Hozon by the NBTHK.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
A tate-marugata shakudō tsuba with a kaku-mimi ko-niku rim, signed on the seppa-dai 後藤隆乗 (Gotō Ryūjō) followed by his kaō (monogram). According to the original seller, Ryūjō (also read Takanori) was the fifth generation of the Shichirobei branch of the Gotō family, working in Kyoto around the Kyōhō era. The ground is a very fine, regular nanako laid out in concentric circles. On the front a pair of oshidori, emblem of marital fidelity, swims on the water; the back shows a single duck. The birds are carved in shakudō takabori, with feathers in kebori and gold accents on bills, eyes and plumage, plus reddish copper, while the water is drawn in inlaid silver lines. The photographs show a deep black patina with no sign of repatination, small stable greenish spots in the nanako and slightly dulled silver lines. The central opening has copper sekigane. Dimensions per the seller: 69.1 × 66.3 mm, 3.8 mm thick, 102 g. The NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper, no. 2008673, dated 7 July 2022, accepts the signature. Signed tsuba by the Gotō family are uncommon.
Strong points
- Signed by Gotō Ryūjō, signature accepted by the paper
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2022)
- Very fine, regular shakudō nanako
- Oshidori in takabori with gold, copper and silver accents
- Signed Gotō tsuba are uncommon
Points to bear in mind
- Small stable greenish spots in the nanako and on the seppa-dai
- Silver water lines slightly dulled in places
- Copper sekigane in the central opening
- The dating comes from the original seller's listing; the paper does not state it
Score breakdown
65.3/100
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 19 of 25 Genuine signature of a known maker or school
- Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- Period 7 of 12 Mid-Edo (1688–1781)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 6.3 of 10 Rank 84 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest