NH-0688 Rank 36
Kozuka · Gotō Mitsutaka
光孝 (Gotō Mitsutaka)
Shakudō kozuka with nanako ground and takabori with iroe showing the tokusa cutter, signed «mon Eijō» by Mitsutaka with kaō, with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Kozuka signed on the back plate 紋栄乗 光孝 (mon Eijō Mitsutaka) followed by his kaō, a formula typical of the Gotō main line: the design is credited to Eijō, sixth head of the house, and the piece is signed by Mitsutaka. The front shows the 木賊刈図 (tokusa-kari-zu), the tokusa cutter: a peasant in a straw hat carrying stalks and a sickle, beside two bundles tied with gold cord and gold stalks descending from the upper edge. The ground is shakudō with very fine, even nanako, and the figures are in takabori with iroe of gold, silver and shakudō; the frame and back plate are gold-coloured with a brushed finish. The photographs show intact nanako, crisp relief and a deep black patina, with fine scratches on the gold stalks and on the back plate. The NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper dated 17 September 2021 (no. 2007746) accepts the signature and describes the piece as shakudō nanako-ji, takabori and iroe. According to the original seller it measures 9.50 × 2.42 cm and is kept in a paulownia box.
Strong points
- Gotō main-line signature with kaō, accepted by the paper
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2021)
- Very fine, even shakudō nanako
- Finely detailed takabori with gold and silver iroe
- Classic subject of the tokusa cutter
Points to bear in mind
- The paper does not state Mitsutaka's generation; the period is inferred from his place in the Gotō main line
- The «mon Eijō» formula credits the design to Eijō; the signature is Mitsutaka's
- Fine scratches on the gold stalks and the back plate
Score breakdown
66.9/100
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 7 of 12 Mid-Edo (1688–1781)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 1.9 of 10 Rank 48 of 59 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest