Kantei

NH-0985 Rank 228

Kozuka · Mino

Shakudō kozuka with a nanako ground and gilt takabori gourds among leaves and tendrils, attributed to the Mino school with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers.

KozukaEarly Edo (1615–1688)Early Edo period (17th century, by style)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

An unsigned kozuka attributed by its NBTHK papers to the Mino school, known for high-relief carving of autumn plant motifs. The front carries a continuous frieze of gourds (南瓜, kabocha), lobed leaves, flowers and curling tendrils over a shakudō ground of fine nanako. The motifs are carved in takabori and highlighted with gold iroe; some gourds combine gilt and plain shakudō segments, giving depth to the composition. The back is a plain shakudō plate. The photographs show an even black patina, with no rust or cracks, the gilding well preserved and only small marks of use on the ground and the back. The Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (特別保存刀装具, Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu), dated 26 November 2019, describes it as 南瓜図小柄 (kabocha-zu kozuka), 無銘 (mumei), 美濃 (Mino), 赤銅魚子地 (shakudō nanako-ji), 高彫 (takabori), 色絵 (iroe). It comes in a wooden box with a fabric-lined base.

Strong points

  • NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper (2019), attribution to the Mino school
  • Takabori with gold iroe on a shakudō nanako ground
  • Well-composed frieze of gourds, leaves and tendrils
  • Stable shakudō patina and well-preserved gilding

Points to bear in mind

  • Unsigned: a school attribution, not a maker
  • The original seller dates it to around 1350; the paper gives no date and the style points to the Edo period
  • Small marks of use on the ground and the plain back

Score breakdown

54.6/100

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.

  1. Maker 9 of 25 Attributed to a school only
  2. Workmanship 10 of 20 Good work
  3. Condition 14 of 18 Good condition
  4. Period 9 of 12 Early Edo (1615–1688)
  5. Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
  6. Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
  7. Price 8.6 of 10 Rank 9 of 59 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest