NH-0754 Rank 272
Kozuka · Gotō
Unsigned shakudō nanako kozuka depicting Shunzei and Tadanori in takabori with gold iroe, attributed to the Gotō school by an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
An unsigned kozuka attributed by its NBTHK paper to the Gotō school, the official line of metalworkers to the shogunate. The paper names the subject as 俊成忠度図 (Shunzei Tadanori zu): the warrior Taira no Tadanori calling at the house of the poet Fujiwara no Shunzei to entrust him with his verses before leaving the capital. The photographs show the roofs and fence of the compound running diagonally in gilded high relief, with the armoured, helmeted figure beside the gate. The plate is shakudō with a fine, even nanako ground; the paper describes it as 赤銅魚子地 高彫 色絵 (shakudō nanako-ji takabori iroe). The reverse is plain shakudō. The gilding is intact and the black patina even; the edge shows small marks from use. It measures 9.68 × 1.43 cm according to the original seller. It comes with a 特別保存刀装具 (tokubetsu hozon tōsōgu) paper, no. 2008612, dated 7 July 2022, and is presented in an uninscribed paulownia box.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper (2022)
- Gotō school, per the paper
- Literary theme of Shunzei and Tadanori
- Fine, even shakudō nanako ground
- Takabori with well-preserved gold iroe
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: a school attribution, not a named master
- Small marks from use along the edge
- The paper does not specify the sub-period of Edo
Score breakdown
51.8/100
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.
- Maker 9 of 25 Attributed to a school only
- Workmanship 10 of 20 Good work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- Period 5 of 12 Late Edo (1781–1868)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 9.8 of 10 Rank 2 of 59 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest