Kantei

NH-0581 Rank 292

Kozuka · Nara school

Unsigned shakudō kozuka with nanako ground, attributed by the NBTHK to the Nara school, showing two haulers towing a boat and a genuine inset compass.

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

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Unsigned (mumei) kozuka attributed by its NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper to the Nara school, one of the great lineages of Edo metalworkers. The subject is a boat being towed from the bank: two haulers in straw hats strain at the rope, carved in high relief (takabori) with colour inlays (iroe) in gold, silver and copper, while the tow line, in inlaid silver wire, runs along the plate. At the other end sits a real compass, set within a shakudō ring bearing the directions in gold, an unusual feature that the paper records explicitly. The ground is shakudō with fine, even nanako; the reverse is plain and polished. According to the original seller it measures 9.81 × 1.48 cm, weighs 35 g, comes from Musashi province and dates from the middle of the Edo period. The photographs show crisp nanako, well-preserved colour on the figures and an even dark patina, with a small reddish area on the reverse near the end. It comes in a paulownia box with cushion. Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper no. 2009786, dated 14 July 2023.

Strong points

  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2023)
  • Attributed to the Nara school
  • Genuine inset compass, an uncommon feature
  • Shakudō with fine nanako, takabori and iroe in gold, silver and copper
  • Paulownia box with cushion

Points to bear in mind

  • Unsigned: attribution to a school, not to a specific maker
  • The period is given by the original seller; the paper does not date it
  • Small reddish area on the reverse near the end
  • The condition of the compass cannot be checked in the photographs

Score breakdown

50.7/100

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 9 of 25 Attributed to a school only
  2. Workmanship 10 of 20 Good work
  3. Condition 14 of 18 Good 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 6.7 of 10 Rank 20 of 59 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest