Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Shakudō kozuka with a nanako ground and a chestnut tree with squirrels in takabori and gold, unsigned and attributed to the Ko-Gotō school by an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.
Unsigned kozuka attributed by the NBTHK to the Ko-Gotō school, the early phase of the Gotō house, which worked for the military elite during the Muromachi period. The subject is a chestnut tree with its burrs and leaves among which squirrels play, a motif of fertility and abundance. The photographs show a shakudō plate with a fine, regular nanako ground from which the design rises in takabori with thick gold iroe; the paper describes it as 赤銅魚子地 (shakudō nanako-ji), 高彫 (takabori), 袋着色絵 (fukurokise iroe) and 象嵌色絵 (zōgan iroe). In the photograph of the front the nanako appears intact, the gold preserved and the edges undamaged, with an even dark patina. It carries a 特別保存刀装具 (tokubetsu hozon tōsōgu) paper, no. 2008298, dated 令和四年四月一日 (Reiwa yonen shigatsu tsuitachi), that is 1 April 2022, which titles it 栗樹栗鼠図小柄 (kuri-ju risu-zu kozuka) and attributes it to 古後藤 (Ko-Gotō). The original seller states that it comes with a paulownia box.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper attributing it to Ko-Gotō
- Fine, regular shakudō nanako ground
- Chestnut tree and squirrels in takabori with thick gold (fukurokise iroe)
- Early work of the Gotō tradition, Muromachi period
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: the attribution is to a school, not to a specific master
- Only the front has been photographed; the back and edges are not visible
- Sources differ on the dating within the Muromachi period
Score
56.4 / 100
- Maker 9 of 25 Attributed to a school only
- Workmanship 10 of 20 Good work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- Period 12 of 12 Muromachi or earlier (before 1573)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 7.4 of 10 Rank 29 of 107 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest
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.
Details
- Type
- Kozuka
- School
- Ko-Gotō
- Period
- Muromachi or earlier (before 1573)
- Material
- Shakudō, Gold
- Paper
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Signature
- Unsigned (mumei)
- Technique
- Nanako (fish-roe ground), Takabori (high relief), Iroe (coloured inlay), Zōgan (inlay)
- Dating
- Muromachi period (15th–16th century)
- Paper number
- 2008298
- Paper date
- 1 April 2022
- Attribution on the paper
- 古後藤 (Ko-Gotō)