Kantei

NH-0748 Rank 267

Kozuka · Gotō

Shakudō kozuka with a nanako ground and a torikabuto with ryūteki in takabori, unsigned and attributed to the Gotō school by an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.

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

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Unsigned kozuka, 無銘 (mumei), attributed by the NBTHK paper to the Gotō school, 後藤 (Gotō), the line of metalworkers who set the official style of samurai-class fittings throughout the Edo period. The plate is shakudō with a fine, even nanako ground, and the motif, in takabori, shows a torikabuto, the headdress of bugaku court dance, together with a ryūteki, the transverse flute of gagaku music: a courtly, elegant and restrained theme. The frame and back plate are gold in appearance, with a brushed finish. The photographs show the piece in good condition: intact nanako, crisp relief, even shakudō patina and only light wear to the gilding on the edges and back. The 特別保存刀装具 (tokubetsu hozon tōsōgu) paper, number 2007834, dated 17 September 2021, describes it as 鳥兜龍笛図小柄 (torikabuto ryūteki-zu kozuka), 赤銅魚子地 (shakudō nanako-ji), 高彫 (takabori). Dimensions according to the original seller: 9.52 × 1.45 × 0.48 cm. Presented in a paulownia box.

Strong points

  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper visible in the photographs
  • Attribution to the Gotō school
  • Shakudō with fine, even nanako
  • Courtly theme: torikabuto and ryūteki in takabori
  • Good condition, crisp relief

Points to bear in mind

  • Unsigned: a school attribution, not to a named master
  • Period inferred from style; the paper does not state it
  • The photographs do not show whether the gold is solid or plated

Score breakdown

52/100

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 10 of 10 Rank 1 of 59 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest