Photographs
Photographs by the seller at origin.
The piece
Shakudō kozuka with a nanako ground and falconry implements in takabori with gold, unsigned and attributed by the original seller to the Ko-Gotō school.
Unsigned kozuka that the original seller attributes to the Ko-Gotō school, the name given to the work of the earliest generations of the Gotō house. The subject is the falconer's implements, takajō dōgu (鷹匠道具): baskets, coiled cords and a knotted bow, a motif tied to falconry, a favourite pursuit of the warrior class. On a shakudō nanako ground the objects are carved in takabori with crisp, full relief; the central bow is overlaid with gold in the uttori-iroe technique mentioned by the seller. The reverse is a plain shakudō plate. It measures 97 × 15 mm according to the seller. The photographs show an even nanako, relief without noticeable wear and the gold intact; the reverse shows fine handling marks. The seller declares an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper attributing the piece to Ko-Gotō, which does not appear in the photographs, and a fitted paulownia box without inscription.
Strong points
- Attributed to the Ko-Gotō school, the earliest generations of the Gotō house
- Even, well-preserved shakudō nanako ground
- Crisp takabori with a central gold bow
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper declared by the seller
- Fitted paulownia box
Points to bear in mind
- Unsigned: a school attribution, not a named maker
- The paper does not appear in the photographs
- Fine handling marks on the reverse
Score
58.4 / 100
- Maker 9 of 25 Attributed to a school only
- Workmanship 10 of 20 Good 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 9.4 of 10 Rank 8 of 110 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
- School
- Ko-Gotō
- Period
- Muromachi or earlier (before 1573)
- Material
- Shakudō, Gold
- Paper
- NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu
- Signature
- Unsigned (mumei)
- Technique
- Nanako (fish-roe ground), Takabori (high relief), Iroe (coloured inlay)
- Dating
- Muromachi period (15th–16th century)