NH-0676 Rank 315
Kozuka · Sonobe school
Shakudō kozuka with engraved seigaiha waves and a gold minogame in high relief, attributed to the Sonobe school by an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Unsigned kozuka attributed by the NBTHK paper to the Sonobe school. The subject is the minogame, the ancient tortoise whose trailing tail of seaweed symbolises longevity, swimming over a sea of seigaiha waves. The ground is shakudō, engraved in kebori with concentric arcs of remarkable regularity and scattered with tiny inlaid gold dots suggesting foam. The tortoise is carved in high relief in gold, with touches of reddish gold (iroe) on the tail and shell, while the frame and reverse are gilt with a striated finish. The photographs show an even black patina, crisp relief and intact gilding; only small dark spots are visible on the reverse. The paper, of Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu rank and dated January 2021, describes the piece as a seigaiha minogame-zu kozuka, unsigned, of the Sonobe school. According to the original seller it measures 9.62 cm in length and 1.48 cm in width and is kept in a paulownia wood box.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2021)
- Shakudō ground with very fine kebori seigaiha waves
- Gold minogame in high relief with iroe accents
- Patina and gilding in good condition
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: the paper attributes it to the Sonobe school, not to a named maker
- The period is inferred from style; the paper does not date it
- Small dark spots on the gilt reverse
Score breakdown
49.4/100
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 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 2.4 of 10 Rank 45 of 59 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest