Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Unsigned shakudō kozuka with a turnip and its foliage in shippō enamel, scattered with gold flakes and red beads, attributed to the Hirata Shippō school of the early Edo period.
Unsigned (mumei) kozuka which the original seller attributes, according to its NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper, to the Hirata Shippō school, the lineage founded by Hirata Dōnin that introduced cloisonné enamel into Japanese sword fittings. On a polished black shakudō ground, a turnip with its foliage runs almost the full length of the plate: the leaves in turquoise green with grey and pink nuances, the root in pinkish white, all in shippō enamel set within raised metal cells, with small square gold flakes and inlaid red beads. The opaque, porous enamel reflects the taste of early Hirata work, and the large, bold composition retains the spirit of the Momoyama period. The photographs show the enamel intact, with no visible losses; the plain shakudō reverse bears fine scratches from use. Dimensions according to the original seller: 97 mm long and 14.2 mm wide. It comes in a paulownia box with a fitted recess. The Tokubetsu Hozon paper is declared by the original seller but does not appear in the photographs.
Strong points
- Shippō enamel from the Hirata school, pioneers of cloisonné in sword fittings
- Bold composition of a turnip filling almost the entire plate
- Gold flakes and red beads inlaid on the enamel
- Enamel intact, with no visible losses in the photographs
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper declared by the original seller
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: attribution to the school, not to a specific maker
- The paper does not appear in the photographs
- Fine scratches from use on the shakudō reverse
- The porosity of the enamel is inherent to the early technique, not damage
Score
55 / 100
- Maker 9 of 25 Attributed to a school only
- Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- Period 9 of 12 Early Edo (1615–1688)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 4 of 10 Rank 65 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
- School
- Hirata Shippō
- Period
- Early Edo (1615–1688)
- Material
- Shakudō, Gold, Other material
- Paper
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Signature
- Unsigned (mumei)
- Technique
- Zōgan (inlay), Other technique
- Dating
- Early Edo period (17th century)