Kantei

NH-0690 Rank 365

Menuki · Gotō

A pair of solid gold menuki showing the kiri crest within a matsukawabishi lozenge on a black lacquered ground, attributed to the Gotō school with an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper.

MenukiLate Edo (1781–1868)Late Edo period (late 18th–19th century)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

An unsigned pair of menuki attributed by the NBTHK paper to the Gotō school, the lineage that set the official taste in fittings for the warrior class throughout the Edo period. The subject, described on the paper as 松皮菱桐紋図目貫 (matsukawabishi kirimon-zu menuki), is the paulownia (kiri) crest set inside a stepped 'pine-bark' lozenge (matsukawabishi), a heraldic motif of great restraint. According to the paper the pieces are of solid gold, 金無垢地 (kin muku-ji), worked in 容彫 (katachibori), with a ground of 黒塗 (kuronuri), black lacquer; the photographs show the kiri in clean, symmetrical relief against the finely grained black ground, framed by a gold rim. The reverses carry the central peg on a cross-shaped base. Condition is good: the gold keeps its lustre, the lacquer is intact, and the edges show file marks and small signs of handling. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper no. 2007752, issued in 2021. The original seller gives widths of 3.75 cm and 3.71 cm and mentions a paulownia box.

Strong points

  • Solid gold (kin muku) according to the paper
  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper
  • Attribution to the Gotō school
  • Heraldic kiri crest in a matsukawabishi lozenge on black lacquer

Points to bear in mind

  • Unsigned: the paper attributes the pair to the Gotō school, not to a specific master
  • The paper gives no period; the late Edo dating is inferred from style
  • File marks and small abrasions on the edges

Score breakdown

43.9/100

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.

  1. Maker 9 of 25 Attributed to a school only
  2. Workmanship 10 of 20 Good work
  3. Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
  4. Period 5 of 12 Late Edo (1781–1868)
  5. Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
  6. Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
  7. Price 1.9 of 10 Rank 18 of 22 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest