Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Shakudō kozuka with nanako ground and a falconer's efugo with a pheasant in gilt takabori, attributed to Gotō Kōjō and mounted and signed by Gotō Mitsutaka.
Kozuka from the main Gotō line. The central relief (mon) is attributed to Gotō Kōjō, fourth master of the Gotō house, active in the Momoyama period; the kozuka itself was mounted and signed in the mid-Edo period by Gotō Mitsutaka, thirteenth master, with the attribution inscription 紋光乗 光孝 花押 (mon Kōjō Mitsutaka kaō), engraved on the gold plate of the reverse and clearly legible in the photographs. The subject is an efugo, the basket in which a falconer kept bait and game, from which the tail and legs of a pheasant emerge, tied with cords that undulate to the right. The relief, in shakudō takabori with iroe gilding, is applied to a shakudō ground of fine, even nanako within a gilt frame; the reverse is lined with gold (ura hōkin). The photographs show a deep, even black patina, crisp nanako and well-preserved gold on the high points, with a few minute dark specks. The original seller declares an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper, which does not appear in the photographs, and dimensions of 97.2 × 14.9 mm.
Strong points
- Relief attributed to Gotō Kōjō, fourth master of the main Gotō line
- Attribution inscription signed by Gotō Mitsutaka, thirteenth master of the house
- High-quality shakudō with fine, even nanako
- Takabori with very well-preserved iroe gilding
- Gold-lined reverse
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper declared by the original seller
Points to bear in mind
- The signature is an attribution by Gotō Mitsutaka, not a signature by Kōjō himself
- Only the relief dates to Momoyama; the kozuka was mounted in the mid-Edo period
- The declared paper does not appear in the photographs
Score
60.3 / 100
- Maker 15 of 25 Unsigned, attributed by the paper to a master
- Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- Period 11 of 12 Momoyama (1573–1615)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 1.3 of 10 Rank 93 of 107 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
- Kozuka
- Maker
- Gotō Kōjō
- Period
- Momoyama (1573–1615)
- Material
- Shakudō, Gold
- Paper
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Signature
- Signed
- School
- 後藤 (Gotō)
- Inscription
- 紋光乗 光孝 花押 (mon Kōjō Mitsutaka kaō)
- Technique
- Nanako (fish-roe ground), Takabori (high relief), Iroe (coloured inlay)
- Dating
- Momoyama period (late 16th century); mounted mid-Edo