Kantei

NH-0734 Rank 58

Tsuba · Gotō Mitsumori

後藤光守 (Gotō Mitsumori)

Shakudō tsuba with a nanako ground and bamboo leaves in relief, signed by Gotō Mitsumori (Keijō), master of the Gotō main line, with an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.

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

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Round, slightly upright tsuba signed 後藤光守 (Gotō Mitsumori) with a kaō beside the central opening. According to the original seller, Mitsumori, whose art name was Keijō, was the fourteenth head of the Gotō main line and was born in 1741; signed tsuba by the masters of this house, which worked mainly on kozuka, kōgai and menuki, are scarce. The theme is bamboo: the rim, reserved in relief, imitates a ring of cane with its nodes, and from it spring sprays of leaves carved in sukidashi takabori over a fine, even nanako ground, in shakudō with a deep black patina. The photographs show both faces: the nanako is crisp, the patina even, and the high points of the leaves reveal the warm tone of the metal through handling; the seppa-dai has light surface scuffs and small sekigane are visible in the central opening. The NBTHK paper, dated 22 December 2022, classifies it as 特別保存刀装具 (tokubetsu hozon tōsōgu), describes 赤銅魚子地 (shakudō nanako-ji), 鋤出高彫 (sukidashi takabori) and 鋤残耳 (sukinokoshi-mimi), and accepts the signature. It is kept in its wooden box with a handwritten label; a note inside the lid records its publication in the magazine 刀剣趣味 (Tōken Shumi), issue 28, October 1960.

Strong points

  • Signature 後藤光守 (Gotō Mitsumori) with kaō, accepted by the paper
  • Work by a master of the Gotō main line, rare as a tsuba
  • Fine, even nanako in shakudō with a deep black patina
  • Rim carved as a bamboo ring, leaves in sukidashi takabori
  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper (2022)
  • Wooden box with label and publication note (1960)

Points to bear in mind

  • Light surface scuffs on the seppa-dai and slight wear on the high points of the leaves.
  • Small sekigane in the central opening.
  • The 1960 publication is recorded only in a handwritten note in the box and has not been verified.
  • The piece is not dated: the period is inferred from the maker's lifetime.

Score breakdown

64.1/100

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 25 of 25 Genuine signature of a first-rank master, confirmed by the paper
  2. Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable 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 1.1 of 10 Rank 202 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest