Kantei

NH-1020 Rank 49

Menuki · Hōhide (Gotō school)

芳英 (Hōhide)

Pair of solid-gold menuki with autumn grasses and butterflies, signed 芳英 (Hōhide) on a tanzaku plate and accompanied by an NBTHK 特別保存刀装具 (Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu) certificate.

MenukiLate Edo (1781–1868)Late Edo period (19th century)NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu

Photographs by the seller at origin.

Description

A pair of menuki worked in solid gold, 金無垢 (kin-muku) according to the paper, with the theme of autumn grasses and butterflies, 秋草に蝶 (akikusa ni chō). The high-relief carving (takabori) unfolds chrysanthemums, bellflowers and interlaced grasses; veins and awns are cut with fine line engraving (kebori), and each piece carries a butterfly in dark metal — patinated silver on one, shakudō with applied gold on the other — that breaks the gleam of the golden ground. On the reverse of one of them a gold plate in tanzaku form bears the signature 芳英 (Hōhide), a customary way of signing fittings of this size. The NBTHK certificate, 特別保存刀装具 (Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu) no. 223221, dated 11 December 1997, records that tanzaku signature without reservation and describes the metals used. The original seller places the piece in the late Edo period and links the artist to the Gotō school. The photographs show face, edge and reverse: the relief is intact, the fixing posts survive complete, and no repairs or cleaning are apparent. It comes in a paulownia box.

Strong points

  • Solid gold, 金無垢 (kin-muku), confirmed by the paper
  • Signature 芳英 (Hōhide) on a tanzaku plate, accepted by the certificate
  • NBTHK 特別保存刀装具 (Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu) certificate no. 223221
  • Finely detailed takabori carving with butterflies in silver and shakudō
  • Excellent condition: crisp relief and complete fixing posts

Points to bear in mind

  • The signature is on an applied gold plate (tanzaku-mei), not chiselled directly into the body
  • The original seller's index data gave an early date that contradicts its own late-Edo description
  • Only two image files are available, although they group several views

Score breakdown

64.6/100

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 19 of 25 Genuine signature of a known maker or school
  2. Workmanship 15 of 20 Notable work
  3. Condition 18 of 18 Excellent condition
  4. Period 5 of 12 Late Edo (1781–1868)
  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 3.6 of 10 Rank 15 of 23 by price among pieces of its type, from the most affordable to the dearest