Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Shakudō kozuka with a nanako ground and a loose horse in takabori with gold, signed 後藤光壽 (Gotō Mitsutoshi) with kaō, eleventh master of the Gotō main line.
Kozuka of the Gotō main line, signed on the reverse in kebori engraving 後藤光壽 (Gotō Mitsutoshi) followed by his kaō. Gotō Mitsutoshi, born in 1663 as the son of Senjō, founder of the Tarōemon branch, was chosen as the eleventh master of the main house in 1697. The subject is a 放馬 (hanare-uma), a loose horse running free across the meadow: the animal, in shakudō takabori, has its mane, tail and eye in gold iroe, and to its left are a shakudō rock and a small golden tuft. The ground is shakudō nanako with fine, even granulation, where the deep black of the metal sets off the gold with the restraint typical of the Gotō style. The photographs show crisp nanako, gold without losses and a black patina free of rust; the plain shakudō reverse shows light handling scratches. The original seller states an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper, dimensions of 97 × 14.7 mm and a fitted kiri box; the paper does not appear in the photographs.
Strong points
- Signed 後藤光壽 (Gotō Mitsutoshi) with kaō, eleventh master of the Gotō main line
- Loose horse in shakudō takabori with gold iroe
- Fine, even nanako ground
- Deep black shakudō patina, gold without losses
- Tokubetsu Hozon paper stated by the original seller
Points to bear in mind
- The Tokubetsu Hozon paper does not appear in the photographs
- Light handling scratches on the plain reverse
Score
64.3 / 100
- 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 5.3 of 10 Rank 51 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
- Maker
- Gotō Mitsutoshi
- Period
- Mid-Edo (1688–1781)
- Material
- Shakudō, Gold
- Paper
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Signature
- Signed
- School
- Gotō (línea principal, undécimo maestro)
- Inscription
- 後藤光壽 花押 (Gotō Mitsutoshi kaō)
- Technique
- Nanako (fish-roe ground), Takabori (high relief), Iroe (coloured inlay), Migaki (burnished)
- Dating
- Mid-Edo period (late 17th – early 18th century)