NH-0678 Rank 59
Menuki · Ōtsuki Mitsuhiro
大月光弘 (Ōtsuki Mitsuhiro)
Pair of solid-gold menuki with pampas grass under the moon and a tiny crab, signed by Ōtsuki Mitsuhiro, with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Pair of menuki from the Ōtsuki school of Kyoto, signed by Ōtsuki Mitsuhiro, one of the foremost pupils of Ōtsuki Mitsuoki. The theme, 月下薄に蟹図 (gekka susuki ni kani zu, "crab among pampas grass under the moon"), is rendered with susuki blades layered in several tiers, pierced and airy, silvery plumes with extremely fine engraving and a minute patinated copper crab hidden among the stems. The paper describes the work as 金無垢地 (kin muku-ji), solid gold, worked in 容彫 (katachibori) with 象嵌色絵 (zōgan iroe): inlay and colour in gold, reddish gold, silver and dark metals. The signature is split across the edges of the two pieces, 大月 (Ōtsuki) on one and 光弘 (Mitsuhiro) on the other, and the photographs show it clearly. The photographs cover front, back and edges: the blades are intact, the gold keeps its warm tone and shows light handling wear at the edges; the back shows the ryōhitsu and the darkening typical of soldering. It comes with NBTHK papers, Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu, issued in 2021, which accept the signature. According to the original seller, it is kept in a paulownia box.
Strong points
- Solid gold (kin muku) according to the paper
- Ōtsuki Mitsuhiro signature split between the two pieces, accepted by the paper
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu papers (2021)
- Multi-layered pierced composition with a tiny copper crab
- Good condition, no visible breaks in the fine blades
Points to bear in mind
- The paper gives no date: the period is inferred from the maker's known activity
- Light handling wear on the gold edges
Score breakdown
64/100
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 1 of 10 Rank 20 of 22 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest