Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Shakudō kozuka with a nanako ground, a crane in flight and a rock by the water in takabori with gold and silver iroe, signed by Gotō Mitsutomo, tenth master of the main Gotō line.
Kozuka signed on the reverse 後藤光侶 (Gotō Mitsutomo) followed by his kaō. According to the original seller, it is an autograph work by Gotō Renjō Mitsutomo, tenth master of the main Gotō line, born in 1628, who became head of the house in 1652 and settled in Edo from 1662. The front, in shakudō with a very even nanako ground, shows on the right a crane in flight carved in takabori, its plumage finely chiselled and its beak and legs in gold; on the left, a silver rock beside silver water lines and droplets. The original seller notes that the pairing of crane and rock is unusual within the school's repertoire. A gilt frame with diagonal striations surrounds the field, and the reverse is a gilt plate with the same striation, bearing the signature. The photographs show the piece in good condition, without knocks or rust, with the gilding intact and a slightly duller area in the nanako at the centre. It measures 97 × 14.5 mm according to the original seller, who declares an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper and a fitted kiri box; the paper does not appear in the photographs.
Strong points
- Signed by Gotō Mitsutomo, tenth master of the main Gotō line
- Crane in flight in shakudō takabori with gold beak and legs
- Fine, even nanako ground
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper declared by the original seller
- Fitted kiri box
Points to bear in mind
- The paper does not appear in the photographs; its level is the one declared by the original seller.
- The signature on the reverse is fine and hard to read in the photographs.
- Slightly duller area in the central nanako, consistent with light wear from use.
- The listing does not mention a hakogaki.
Score
69.6 / 100
- 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 9 of 12 Early Edo (1615–1688)
- Paper 4 of 10 NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Extras 0 of 5 No complete set by the same maker and no inscribed box
- Price 2.6 of 10 Rank 79 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
- Gotō Mitsutomo
- Period
- Early Edo (1615–1688)
- Material
- Shakudō, Gold, Silver
- Paper
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Signature
- Signed
- School
- Gotō
- Inscription
- 後藤光侶 花押 (Gotō Mitsutomo kaō)
- Technique
- Nanako (fish-roe ground), Takabori (high relief), Iroe (coloured inlay)
- Dating
- Early Edo period (17th century)