NH-0687 Rank 52
Kozuka · Gotō Eijō
栄乗 (Gotō Eijō)
Shakudō kozuka with a nanako ground and birds in high relief beside silver flowing water, attributed by the NBTHK to Gotō Eijō, with Tokubetsu Hozon papers.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Unsigned kozuka attributed by the NBTHK papers to 栄乗 (Eijō), a master of the main line of the Gotō family, active between the late Momoyama period and the beginning of Edo. The papers title the piece 流水に烏図小柄 (Ryūsui ni karasu zu kozuka), "kozuka with crows and flowing water". The photographs show five birds carved in takabori on a fine, regular nanako ground of blue-black shakudō: two in flight on the left and three intertwined on the right, among ripples of water and droplets applied in silver (gin iroe). The plumage is crisply chiselled and the composition leaves a generous empty space at the centre that lets the design breathe. The back is a plain polished shakudō plate. As to condition, the front retains a deep, even patina with well-defined nanako and relief; the back shows fine scratches and small rubbing marks from use. No rust, cracks or knocks are visible. According to the original seller, it comes in a paulownia wood box. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu papers, no. 224045, dated 14 April 1999.
Strong points
- NBTHK attribution to Eijō, a master of the main Gotō line
- Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu papers (1999)
- Shakudō with fine, regular nanako
- Crisply chiselled takabori birds with silver water (gin iroe)
- Deep, well-preserved patina on the front
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned (mumei): the authorship is an attribution by the papers
- Fine scratches and rubbing marks on the plain back
- The period rests on the attribution and the original listing; the piece is not dated
Score breakdown
64.3/100
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 15 of 25 Unsigned, attributed by the paper to a master
- Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- Period 11 of 12 Momoyama (1573–1615)
- 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 28 of 59 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest