Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Shakudō nanako kozuka with a swan in high relief among golden waves, signed Yoshioka Inaba no Suke and papered NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu.
Kozuka signed on the reverse 吉岡因幡介 (Yoshioka Inaba no Suke), the name of the Yoshioka workshop, a family of metalworkers linked to the Gotō tradition. The face shows a swan swimming among waves: the bird, silver-toned and with finely detailed plumage, stands in high relief on a shakudō ground of even nanako, while golden waves run along the plate. The paper describes it as 赤銅魚子地 高彫 色絵 (shakudō nanako-ji takabori iroe). The reverse is plain shakudō with the engraved signature. According to the original seller, it measures 9.78 × 1.48 cm, dates from the late Edo period and comes with a kiri box. The photographs show intact nanako, gilding without visible losses and crisp relief; light surface marks can be seen on the reverse. The Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai certified it as 特別保存刀装具 (tokubetsu hozon tōsōgu) on 14 July 2023 (令和五年七月十四日, Reiwa go-nen shichigatsu jūyokka), under the title 白鳥図小柄 (hakuchō-zu kozuka), accepting the signature.
Strong points
- Signed Yoshioka Inaba no Suke, signature accepted by the paper
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper (2023)
- Swan in takabori with iroe on shakudō nanako
- Golden waves running the full length of the plate
Points to bear in mind
- The dating comes from the original seller; the piece is not dated
- Light surface marks on the shakudō reverse
Score
61.6 / 100
- Maker 19 of 25 Genuine signature of a known maker or school
- Workmanship 10 of 20 Good 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 9.6 of 10 Rank 5 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
- Yoshioka Inaba no Suke
- Period
- Late Edo (1781–1868)
- Material
- Shakudō, Gold, Silver
- Paper
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Signature
- Signed
- School
- Yoshioka
- Inscription
- 吉岡因幡介 (Yoshioka Inaba no Suke)
- Technique
- Nanako (fish-roe ground), Takabori (high relief), Iroe (coloured inlay)
- Dating
- Late Edo period (late 18th – 19th century)
- Paper number
- 2009694
- Paper date
- 14 July 2023
- Attribution on the paper
- 吉岡因幡介 (Yoshioka Inaba no Suke)