Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Shakudō kozuka with an ishime ground and a jizai-kagi (adjustable pot hanger) in high relief in copper and gold, signed 岩本昆寛 (Iwamoto Konkan) with kaō.
Kozuka signed on the reverse 岩本昆寛 (Iwamoto Konkan) followed by his kaō. According to the original seller, Konkan was born in Edo in 1744 and became the sixth master of the Iwamoto school, rooted in the Yokoya tradition, while adopting the carving manner of Nara Yasuchika. The front is blue-black shakudō with a very even granular ishime ground, carrying a single motif: a jizai-kagi (自在鉤, jizai-kagi), the adjustable hook used to hang a pot over the hearth. The bamboo shaft, in brownish copper with clearly marked nodes, is worked in high relief; the hook and the cord that holds it are gold. The gilt reverse bears an irregular pattern of dark patches like wood grain, crossed by fine striations, together with the engraved signature. The photographs show an even, intact dark patina on the front, crisp relief, and only light wear from use on the reverse. The original seller declares an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon certificate, which does not appear in the photographs. It measures 9.68 × 1.43 cm according to the seller.
Strong points
- Legible signature 岩本昆寛 (Iwamoto Konkan) with kaō
- Work by the sixth master of the Iwamoto school
- Restrained composition: a jizai-kagi in copper and gold on ishime shakudō
- Gilt reverse with an unusual wood-grain pattern
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon certificate declared by the original seller
Points to bear in mind
- The certificate does not appear in the photographs
- Light wear and small marks at the end of the reverse
- Undated; the period is inferred from the maker's lifetime
Score
57.6 / 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 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 0.6 of 10 Rank 101 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
- Iwamoto Konkan
- Period
- Late Edo (1781–1868)
- Material
- Shakudō, Gold, Copper
- Paper
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Signature
- Signed
- School
- Iwamoto
- Inscription
- 岩本昆寛 (Iwamoto Konkan) 花押 (kaō)
- Technique
- Takabori (high relief), Iroe (coloured inlay), Kebori (line engraving), Other technique
- Dating
- Late Edo period (late 18th century)