NH-0820 Rank 177
Futatokoro · Ko-Kinkō
A kozuka and kōgai set in shakudō with a nanako ground and a crawling dragon in takabori with gold touches, attributed to Ko-Kinkō by an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
A futatokoro, 二所物 (futatokoromono), comprising an unsigned kozuka and kōgai, attributed by the NBTHK paper to Ko-Kinkō, 古金工 (Ko-Kinkō): the name given to pre-Edo metalwork whose workshop cannot be identified. Both pieces repeat the same subject, a crawling dragon, 這龍図 (hairyū-zu), carved in high relief (takabori) over a shakudō ground of fine, even nanako within a recessed field; the kōgai also bears relief scrolls next to the mimikaki. Small gold touches (iroe) enliven the dragon's body. The backs are plain shakudō. The photographs show a dark, even patina with light wear from use: some copper shows at the corners and at the neck of the kōgai, the nanako on the kozuka is slightly worn towards one end, and the back of the kozuka has surface scratches. The original seller gives the kōgai as 21.7 cm (33.5 g) and the kozuka as 9.84 cm (28.4 g), with a paulownia box, and dates the set to the late Muromachi period. The Tokubetsu Hozon paper no. 2009528, issued in 2023, describes the set as 赤銅魚子地 (shakudō nanako-ji), 高彫 (takabori) and 色絵 (iroe).
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper (2023) attributing the set to Ko-Kinkō
- A coherent set: the same dragon on kozuka and kōgai
- Fine, even nanako ground in shakudō
- Vigorous takabori with gold touches (iroe)
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: a school attribution, not to a specific maker
- The date (late Muromachi) comes from the original seller; the paper does not state it
- Light wear: copper showing at corners, nanako slightly worn at one end of the kozuka and scratches on its back
Score breakdown
57.6/100
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.
- Maker 9 of 25 Attributed to a school only
- Workmanship 10 of 20 Good work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- Period 12 of 12 Muromachi or earlier (before 1573)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 8.6 of 10 Rank 2 of 8 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest