Kantei

NH-0750 Rank 127

Kozuka · Gotō Kenjō

顕乗 (Gotō Kenjō)

Shakudō kozuka with a nanako ground and a dragon among clouds facing a tiger in high-relief gold, attributed by the paper to Gotō Kenjō, with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon.

KozukaEarly Edo (1615–1688)Early Edo period (17th century)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

Unsigned kozuka which the NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (no. 228128, 1997) attributes to Kenjō, a master of the main Gotō line; according to the original seller, he succeeded his brother Eijō as head of the house and also founded the Rihei branch. The subject is the classic ryūko (龍虎, ryūko), dragon and tiger: the dragon coils among swirling clouds on the left half while, on the right, the crouching tiger roars back at it. The gold figures are carved in deep takabori, the tiger's fur in fine kebori and the dragon's scales crisply defined, on a shakudō ground with even nanako. The back and edge are gold plate with a diagonal striated finish. The photographs show a deep black patina, crisp nanako and the gold of the reliefs intact; only slight loss of gilding is visible on the lower rim. It measures 9.62 × 1.46 cm according to the original seller and comes in a plain paulownia box.

Strong points

  • Paper attribution to Kenjō of the main Gotō line
  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper
  • Dragon and tiger in gold, deep takabori
  • Shakudō ground with fine, even nanako
  • Gold-plate back and edge

Points to bear in mind

  • Unsigned: the authorship is a paper attribution, not a signature
  • Slight loss of gilding on the lower rim of the frame
  • The photographs are grouped into a single image of moderate resolution

Score breakdown

59.6/100

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 2.6 of 10 Rank 44 of 59 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest