NH-0788 Rank 137
Kōgai · Ko-Gotō
Unsigned shakudō kōgai with horse tack in high relief and uttori gold, attributed to the Ko-Gotō school and designated Jūyō at the 22nd NBTHK session.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Unsigned (mumei) kōgai attributed by its paper to the Ko-Gotō school, the earliest generations of the Gotō main line, before the Edo period. The subject is horse tack — saddles, stirrups and shiode — carved in high-relief shakudō and applied as suemon on a fine, even nanako ground, with sheets of uttori gold in several places; near the head, warabite scrolls of inlaid gold close the composition. The reverse is plain. The photographs show a deep shakudō patina, gold preserved on the high points and crisp nanako, with light wear from use and no visible damage. It measures 23.7 × 1.45 cm according to the paper. The piece was designated Jūyō Kodōgu at the 22nd NBTHK session on 1 June 1974 (the former name of the Jūyō Tōsōgu category); the paper dates it to the late Muromachi period, and the Jūyō Zufu praises its generous size, the colour of the shakudō and the effective use of uttori gold. The original seller states that it comes in a kiri box, with the Zufu page.
Strong points
- NBTHK Jūyō paper (22nd session, 1974)
- Ko-Gotō school, before the Edo period
- Horse tack in high relief with uttori gold
- Fine, even shakudō nanako ground
- Deep shakudō patina and well-preserved gold
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: attributed to a school, not to a specific master
- The attribution to the first three Gotō generations is the original seller's view, not the paper's
- The photographs are composite panels of modest size
Score breakdown
59.3/100
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 15 of 20 Notable work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- Period 12 of 12 Muromachi or earlier (before 1573)
- Paper 8 of 10 NBTHK Jūyō Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 1.3 of 10 Rank 8 of 9 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest