Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Iron fuchi-kashira depicting the fox wedding, signed 応好 金剛斎月山 (Ōkō Kongōsai Gassan) of the Kyoto Ōtsuki school, in takabori with gold and silver.
Iron fuchi-kashira signed on the tenjōgane of the fuchi 応好 金剛斎月山 (Ōkō Kongōsai Gassan) with his kaō, an artist of the Ōtsuki school working in Kyoto in the late Edo period. The subject is the 狐嫁入図 (kitsune no yomeiri-zu), the 'fox wedding' of Japanese folklore: on the fuchi an anthropomorphic fox in a silver kamishimo walks forward with further figures, while the kashira shows a tree with gold leaves above carved foliage, evoking the nocturnal wood of the legend. The iron, with a dark brown patina, is worked in takabori with inlays of gold, silver and copper. The photographs show good condition: a stable surface, no visible active rust and complete inlays. The original seller declares an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper, which does not appear in the photographs. The piece comes with a kiri box bearing a hakogaki by 池田隆雄 (Ikeda Takao), visible in the photographs, and an outer case. Declared dimensions: fuchi 37.5 mm, kashira 34 mm.
Strong points
- Legible signature 応好 金剛斎月山 (Ōkō Kongōsai Gassan) with kaō
- Uncommon fox wedding subject
- Iron in takabori with gold and silver inlays
- Kiri box with hakogaki by 池田隆雄 (Ikeda Takao)
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper declared by the original seller
Points to bear in mind
- The NBTHK paper does not appear in the photographs; it is recorded on the original seller's declaration.
- Photographs of modest resolution, which do not allow close examination of every detail of the carving.
Score
61.3 / 100
- Maker 19 of 25 Genuine signature of a known maker or school
- Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- Period 5 of 12 Late Edo (1781–1868)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 2 of 5 Adds: box inscribed by an expert (hakogaki)
- Price 2.3 of 10 Rank 35 of 45 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest
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.
Details
- Type
- Fuchi-kashira
- Maker
- Ōkō Kongōsai Gassan
- Period
- Late Edo (1781–1868)
- Material
- Iron, Gold, Silver, Copper
- Paper
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Signature
- Signed
- School
- Ōtsuki
- Inscription
- 応好 金剛斎月山 花押 (Ōkō Kongōsai Gassan kaō)
- Technique
- Takabori (high relief), Zōgan (inlay), Iroe (coloured inlay)
- Dating
- Late Edo period (19th century)
- Extras
- box inscribed by an expert (hakogaki)