A kozuka for comment.

[jason_mazzy]

I am curious if this has a specific style, or school type. It is a shakudo and gold foil with what appears to be a solid gold Kirin somehow attached to the very fine nanako. Comments?

 

[Lindus]

The nanako does not seem that good,correct me but great skill was involved in hollow punching nanako and this although good enough seems to lack that.

Roy

[jason_mazzy]

I believe the problem with the way the nanako looks is two fold. the lighting and camera distorted it in he pictures, and second it is the finest (smallest tightly packed) nanako I have ever seen. It is almost microscopic and you need a magnifying glass to apreciate it at all. It is so dense I can not even fathom the amount of time this work must have taken.

 

the kirin is roughly 1.75 cm

[nagamaki - Franco]

..... specific style, or school type. ..... a solid gold Kirin ..... Comments?

 

The style looks "Goto". However, based upon details of Kirin, color of gold (and doubtfully solid), and nanako, I would not think this is a mainline piece, Goto or otherwise, perhaps a waki Goto school, submit to shinsa.

[jason_mazzy]

Thank you for your help. i do believe it to be solid gold though. as you can see by the rear foot, that is reverse carved to make a hoof, it is slightly elevated, and it is the same thin metal gold on the other side. if you have the kozuka in hand and take light to the side of it you can see behind some of it it is also thin metal and also seems to be back filled with a pine pitch .

[John A Stuart]

Franco, I saw your answer and had to reply. I don't think this kozka is Goto school, for the very reasons you describe. There were a few kinko schools that could have produced a piece in this style. I am no Goto scholar, but, when you equate poor craftmanship with Goto stylisation and decide it must be waki-Goto that is just wrong. The splinter families like Gonbei, Rihei, Kanbei etc. produced work comparable to the mainline Shirobei Goto, no degradation of quality in the sense you mention. Of course in my opinion and maybe others. John

[Marc BROQUIN]

Hello all,

 

John is totally right about Goto schools.

 

You should consider the Goto schools as the highest universities in that kind of job. The students of those schools were strictly and highly selected at entrance, upon their workmanship. It was not possible for a current candidate to be a student of a Goto master, even by relationship.

 

Think that they had to protect their image among the clients.

 

So this kind of irregular nanako is not issued from even a Goto student.

 

Many copist of the 19th century and even 20th have tried to produce somewhat attractive imitations for gaijins. This is certainly part of it.

 

Friendly,

Marc

[Jean]

Generally, on this kind of kozuka, we expect to see shishi, I had one I sponsored in an NMB raffle a couple of years ago.

 

The dragon is very/too crude to be from Goto school. The nanako are in total disorder too.

 

I don't think this Kozuka is top quality.

[Eric H]

Quality of Nanako...I have added five Kozukas, four of them are by various artists of the Goto family, one is by another master not belonging to the Gotos.

 

From top to bottom...1-2-3-4-5

What do you believe, which is not by a Goto?

 

Eric

[Marius]

Quality of Nanako...I have added five Kozukas, four of them are by various artists of the Goto family, one is by another master not belonging to the Gotos.

 

From top to bottom...1-2-3-4-5

What do you believe, which is not by a Goto?

 

 

Eric,

 

A picture is better than a Thousand words. These examples make one understand (by contrast) what nanako qulity really mens.

 

Thank you

 

Jason,

 

I think the kogatana might turn out to be quite interesting, would you care to post a picture of it?

[Jean]

I won't give the answer, though I know it. Eric mailed it to me before posting.

 

Sorry Eric I had to tell the guys

[jason_mazzy]

 

[Brian]

I would hazard a guess at the third one from the top.

(and of course the very bottom one )

 

Brian

[Jamie]

I agree with Brian, Third down is not Goto.

[jason_mazzy]

Kogatana and kozuka as requested

 

[nagamaki - Franco]

The style looks "Goto". I would not think this is a mainline piece, Goto or otherwise,

 

Franco, I saw your answer and had to reply. I don't think this kozka is Goto school

 

Style, style, style, I never said this is Goto. In the harshest critique I only suggested perhaps some waki (as in whacky, a play on words, sometimes I assume too much) Goto off shoot, please do not put words in my mouth, thank you very much.