Kantei

NH-0692 Rank 106

Kozuka · Gotō Teijō

後藤程乗 (Gotō Teijō)

Shakudō kozuka with a nanako ground and a gold shishi in high relief holding a sankoken sword; unsigned, attributed by its NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper to Gotō Teijō.

KozukaEarly Edo (1615–1688)Early Edo period (17th century), by attributionNBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

A kozuka, the handle of the small utility knife, from the main Gotō line. It is mumei, and the NBTHK paper attributes it to 程乗 (Teijō), the ninth master of the Gotō house (1603–1673). The paper titles it 三鈷剣銜獅子図小柄 (Sankoken kuwae shishi-zu kozuka): a shishi gripping in its mouth a sankoken sword, whose three-pronged vajra hilt refers to the Buddhist iconography of Fudō Myōō. The figure is solid gold, carved in high relief and applied (suemon) on a shakudō ground of fine, very even nanako; the rims and the back are gold. The photographs show crisp nanako, an even black shakudō patina and an intact figure with well-defined mane and claws; the gold back shows fine wear scratches. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper, number 220305, dated December 1989. According to the original seller, it is kept in a paulownia box; it measures 9.63 × 1.43 cm.

Strong points

  • Paper attribution to Gotō Teijō, master of the main Gotō line
  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper
  • Solid-gold shishi in high relief on shakudō nanako
  • Fine, even nanako in good condition
  • Gold rims and back

Points to bear in mind

  • Unsigned: this is an attribution by the paper, not a signed work
  • Fine wear scratches on the gold back
  • The period is inferred from the attribution; the paper gives no date of making

Score breakdown

60.6/100

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 15 of 25 Unsigned, attributed by the paper to a master
  2. Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable work
  3. Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
  4. Period 9 of 12 Early Edo (1615–1688)
  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 3.6 of 10 Rank 38 of 59 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest