NH-0618 Rank 160
Kozuka · Ko-Mino
Unsigned kozuka attributed to the Ko-Mino school, with a gold nanako plate carved in high relief with an old pine and wisteria. Designated Jūyō Kodōgu by the NBTHK in 1969.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Unsigned kozuka attributed by the NBTHK paper to the Ko-Mino school, one of the oldest goldsmith traditions in Japanese sword fittings. It was designated Jūyō Kodōgu at the 18th session (April 1969). According to the designation text, it is a kōgai-naoshi: the gold plate with nanako ground, cut in suhama shape, comes from a kōgai and was set as it was into a shakudō body. On it, in takabori with applied motifs (suemon), a vigorously carved old pine is entwined by wisteria blossoms. The paper regards it as a typical and representative Ko-Mino work of particularly fine execution. The photographs show the front, the plain black shakudō back, both edges and both ends: the nanako is crisp, the gold keeps its lustre and the relief shows no noticeable losses; only fine surface marks are visible on the back. It measures 9.8 cm in length; a 1998 NBTHK annotation corrects the width to 1.4 cm. According to the original seller, it comes in a paulownia wood box.
Strong points
- Designated Jūyō Kodōgu by the NBTHK (18th session, 1969)
- Gold nanako plate with high-relief pine and wisteria
- Typical and representative Ko-Mino work according to the paper
- Late Muromachi period
- Relief and nanako in good condition
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: the Ko-Mino attribution is a school attribution
- Kōgai-naoshi: the gold plate comes from a kōgai and was reset in this kozuka
- Fine surface marks on the shakudō back
Score breakdown
58.5/100
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 9 of 25 Attributed to a school only
- Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- Period 12 of 12 Muromachi or earlier (before 1573)
- Paper 8 of 10 NBTHK Jūyō Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 0.5 of 10 Rank 56 of 59 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest