NH-0941 Rank 34
Tsuba and fuchi-kashira · Gotō Mitsuaki
後藤光晃 (Gotō Mitsuaki)
A shakudō nanako tsuba and fuchi-kashira set depicting the gods of fortune Fukurokuju and Jurōjin, signed by Gotō Mitsuaki, 16th master of the main Gotō line, with NBTHK Jūyō Tōsōgu papers.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
A matched tsuba and fuchi-kashira signed 後藤光晃 花押 (Gotō Mitsuaki kaō), the work of Gotō Mitsuaki (Hōjō), sixteenth master of the main Gotō line. According to the paper he was born in 1816, became head of the house in 1835 and died in 1856. The theme is the gods of good fortune: on the mokkō-shaped tsuba, Fukurokuju in high relief with a gold crane on the front, and on the back his staff with a scroll tied to it; on the fuchi, Jurōjin reclining beside a deer; on the kashira, a crane in flight. The ground is shakudō with a very fine, even nanako, carrying gold and silver relief enhanced with iroe; both hitsu-ana are plugged with gold and the seppa-dai is polished shakudō. The signature is chiselled on the seppa-dai of the tsuba and on the inner plate of the fuchi. The photographs show intact nanako, gilding without visible losses and an even black patina; a pale mark is visible on the surface of the back of the fuchi. The set has been designated 重要刀装具 (Jūyō Tōsōgu) by the NBTHK at the 66th session, certificate no. 14688 dated 15 December 2020, which describes it as a fine work by Mitsuaki. It is kept in a padded wooden box.
Strong points
- Signed by Gotō Mitsuaki, 16th head of the main Gotō line
- NBTHK Jūyō Tōsōgu papers (66th session, no. 14688)
- Very fine, even shakudō nanako on all three pieces
- Gold and silver relief with iroe: Fukurokuju, Jurōjin, deer and cranes
- Complete set by the same maker, signed on tsuba and fuchi
Points to bear in mind
- Pale surface mark on the back of the fuchi, visible in the photographs
- No photographs of the tsuba rim or the inside of the kashira
- The box bears no visible expert inscription
Score breakdown
67.2/100
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 25 of 25 Genuine signature of a first-rank master, confirmed by the paper
- Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- Period 5 of 12 Late Edo (1781–1868)
- Paper 8 of 10 NBTHK Jūyō Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 0.2 of 10 Rank 223 of 228 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest