NH-0957 Rank 85
Kozuka · den Gotō Jōshin
後藤乗真 (den Gotō Jōshin)
Shakudō nanako kozuka with yūgao in takabori and kin iroe, unsigned and attributed by its NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper to Gotō Jōshin, third generation of the main Gotō line.
Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
Description
Unsigned (mumei) kozuka attributed by its NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper, dated 19 November 2015, to Jōshin (den Jōshin), third generation of the main Gotō line and one of the three masters of the so-called Ko-Gotō, together with Yūjō and Sōjō. According to the original seller, Jōshin was born in Kyoto in 1512 and died in 1562. The shakudō panel with a nanako ground depicts yūgao: gourds, leaves, flowers and tendrils in takabori with gold accents (kin iroe), modelled with full, vigorous volumes typical of the early style of the house. The frame and back have a golden tone with a brushed finish. The photographs show the piece in good condition: dark, natural shakudō patina, gold on the reliefs intact, the nanako somewhat softened in parts of the ground and a small loss of gilding at one end of the back. Dimensions according to the original seller: 9.66 × 1.44 cm; 40 g. It comes in an uninscribed wooden box.
Strong points
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2015) attributing it to Jōshin
- Ko-Gotō: third generation of the main Gotō line
- Shakudō nanako with takabori and kin iroe
- Yūgao theme rendered with full, vigorous volumes
- Reliefs and gold well preserved
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: the authorship is an attribution by the paper (den), not a signature.
- Nanako somewhat softened in parts of the ground and a small loss of gilding at one end of the back.
- The period is inferred from the attributed master's lifetime; the paper does not state it.
Score breakdown
61.7/100
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 15 of 25 Unsigned, attributed by the paper to a master
- Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable work
- Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
- Period 12 of 12 Muromachi or earlier (before 1573)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 1.7 of 10 Rank 49 of 59 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest