NH-0647 Rank 48
Menuki · Gotō Kenjō
後藤顕乗 (Gotō Kenjō)
A pair of shakudō menuki carved in katabori as the dancers Okina and Sanbasō, heightened with gold; unsigned and attributed by the NBTHK to Gotō Kenjō, with Tokubetsu Hozon papers.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
A pair of menuki on the theme 翁三番叟図 (Okina Sanbasō-zu), the ritual nō dance performed to invoke peace and abundant harvests. One figure holds a folding fan and swings a tasselled sleeve; the other, wearing an eboshi, carries a cluster of suzu bells and a costume decorated with crane roundels. They are carved in the round (katabori) in shakudō, with costume patterns, tassels and feet in gold (iroe) and fine kebori lines on the fabrics and faces. The reverse shows the school's construction: a hollow body, a central post and four small securing plates (chikara-gane). The photographs show a deep black patina and intact gold; wear is light, concentrated on the faces and knees, and there are a few superficial greenish spots inside the reverse. The NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper, dated 2 July 2024, describes them as 赤銅地容彫色絵 (shakudō-ji katabori iroe) and 無銘 (mumei), and attributes them to 顕乗 (Kenjō), seventh head of the main Gotō line (1586–1663). They come in a paulownia-wood box with a lined tray, without inscription.
Strong points
- NBTHK attribution to Gotō Kenjō, seventh head of the main Gotō line
- Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2024)
- Katabori in shakudō with gold iroe and fine kebori
- Okina and Sanbasō theme, long associated with the Gotō workshop
- Patina and gold in good condition
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: the authorship is an attribution by the paper, not a signature
- Light wear on faces and high relief
- A few superficial greenish spots inside the reverse
Score breakdown
64.6/100
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 15 of 25 Unsigned, attributed by the paper to a master
- Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- Period 9 of 12 Early Edo (1615–1688)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 7.6 of 10 Rank 6 of 22 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest