Kantei

NH-0534 Rank 164

Kozuka · Ōtsuki Mitsuhiro

大月光弘 (Ōtsuki Mitsuhiro)

Shakudō kozuka with nanako ground and a coastal landscape of pines and houses in takabori with gold, signed Kishōtei Mitsuhiro, with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers.

KozukaLate Edo (1781–1868)Late Edo period (19th century)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Kozuka signed on the reverse 其昇亭光弘 (Kishōtei Mitsuhiro) with kaō, the work of Ōtsuki Mitsuhiro, an artist of the Ōtsuki school active in the final phase of the Edo period. It depicts the subject 千本松原集落図 (Senbon Matsubara shūraku-zu): a village of thatched houses beside a long shoreline of pines, facing the open sea, with three sails in the distance. The front is shakudō, with a fine and very regular nanako for the sky and a polished surface for the water, crossed by waves in kebori; the pines are in sukidashi takabori with gold-inlaid trunks, and the sails in a pale metal. A gilt border frames the scene like a painting. The reverse, in polished shakudō, bears the chiselled signature. The photographs show crisp nanako, reliefs without noticeable wear and complete inlays; only small spots on the gilt border and light rubbing on the reverse can be seen. It comes with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu papers, no. 2002901, dated 19 November 2015, which accept the signature and describe the piece as shakudō nanako-ji, sukidashi takabori and zōgan iroe. Dimensions according to the original seller: 97.2 × 14.1 mm.

Strong points

  • Authentic signature accepted by NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers
  • Fine, very regular shakudō nanako
  • Coastal landscape in sukidashi takabori with gold-inlaid pine trunks
  • Gilt border framing the scene like a painting
  • Good condition, with complete inlays

Points to bear in mind

  • Small spots on the gilt border and light rubbing on the polished reverse, visible in the photographs
  • The metal of the sails cannot be confirmed from the photographs; the original seller describes it as silver
  • The period is inferred from the maker: the piece is undated and the papers do not state it

Score breakdown

58.4/100

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.

  1. Maker 19 of 25 Genuine signature of a known maker or school
  2. Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable work
  3. Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
  4. Period 5 of 12 Late Edo (1781–1868)
  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 1.4 of 10 Rank 51 of 59 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest