NH-0660 Rank 15
Tsuba · Gotō Mitsuyoshi
後藤光美 (Gotō Mitsuyoshi)
Polished shakudō tsuba with Chinese children at play in kebori and gold, signed by Gotō Mitsuyoshi, head of the main Gotō line, with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Shakudō tsuba of tate-maru-gata shape, slightly taller than wide, with a maru-mimi rim, signed 後藤光美 (Gotō Mitsuyoshi) followed by his kaō. According to the original seller, Mitsuyoshi (1780–1843) was the fifteenth head of the main Gotō line and took over the house in 1804; tsuba by this line are uncommon. The subject is 唐子遊戯図 (karako yūgi-zu), Chinese children at play: on the front, a child with a hat and a maned cape, in the manner of the lion dance, and another dancing; on the back, a child with a drum and stick and a small shishi. The figures are drawn in kebori on a polished shakudō ground (migaki-ji), with ribbons, shoes and plumes in gold hira-zōgan and hands and faces in a paler metal. The photographs show both faces, the rim and a close-up of the signature: a stable black patina, with some lighter areas and fine handling scratches on the back, crisp engraving and complete gold. The NBTHK paper, Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu no. 2008701 dated 7 July 2022, accepts it with this signature. Stated dimensions: 6.4 × 5.8 cm. It comes with a fitted paulownia box without inscription.
Strong points
- Signed by Gotō Mitsuyoshi, 15th head of the main Gotō line
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2022) confirming the signature
- An uncommon tsuba from the main Gotō line
- Finely engraved karako with gold hira-zōgan details
- Fitted paulownia box
Points to bear in mind
- Lighter patina areas and fine handling scratches on the back
- Silver in hands and faces is stated by the original seller; the paper only mentions inlay
- Biographical data on the maker come from the original seller
Score breakdown
70.3/100
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 25 of 25 Genuine signature of a first-rank master, confirmed by the paper
- Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- Period 5 of 12 Late Edo (1781–1868)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 7.3 of 10 Rank 63 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest