NihontoWatchNihontoWatchSince the Muromachi period, the Goto school produced prestigious sword fittings in response to the demands of the Shogun families and powerful warrior houses, establishing a central position in Japanese metalwork through the deep black color produced by high-quality shakudo and dignified iroe using gold and silver. Although this piece is mumei, it has been attributed to Goto by the Nippon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai and issued a Hozon Tosogu Kanteisho; the luster and color of the blackish shakudo-ji, the classical sumi-iri mokko-gata shape, and the neatness of the nami-mon applied without gaps across the entire surface clearly express the dignity and strict sense of modeling valued by the school. Because waves roll in and out without ever ceasing, they have been a favored motif for military equipment since ancient times as a symbol of eternity, rebirth, and fortitude. In this work, rather than emphasizing a single large wave, countless wave crests are made to circulate across the entire tsuba surface while overlapping large and small swells, and by continuing the pattern not only on the front and back but also onto the mimi, the endless expanse of the sea is condensed within the interior of a small-sized tsuba. The flow of water is expressed by aligning many lines of thin kebori, and because soft nikudori is added to the wave crests curling up from between them, the beauty of the precise lines stands out from the front, while from an angle, the height of the carving and the pattern wrapping around to the mimi appear as shadows. Numerous small grains of gold and silver are scattered between the waves, representing the moment when spray sparkles in the light. The arrangement of gold and silver is not a uniform repetition but changes in density according to the flow of the waves and the negative space; while making the deep black shakudo look like a night sea, the warm light of gold and the cool light of silver emerge alternately depending on the viewing angle. There is a moderation and refinement characteristic of Goto metalwork in the way a rich landscape was created using only limited elements—shakudo, kebori, usuniku-bori, and kin-gin iroe—without using flashy takabori or large suemon. The kozuka-hitsu-ana is carefully filled with shibuichi, and on its front and back, birds flying over the waves are carved respectively, with extremely small kin-zogan applied to the eyes. The calm gray of the shibuichi contrasts softly with the black shakudo-ji, and the single sharp glint of the gold eye gives a sense of life to the bird's form; the design is clever in that it does not end as a mere repair of a hitsu-ana, but is fashioned into an independent highlight where one can enjoy birds facing different directions on the front and back. By adding the shadows of birds into the wide wave scenery, perspective is born within the frame, and the story does not break even when the tsuba is turned over, allowing one to appreciate the front and back as if following the birds crossing over the sea. Regarding the period of production, as it is mumei and an individual smith cannot be identified, it cannot be determined from a mei year alone; however, an old style is recognized in the workmanship, which values the well-ordered outline of the sumi-iri mokko-gata, the shakudo exhibiting a deep blackness, the disciplined wave lines, and the restrained kin-gin iroe, rather than later realistic expressions or displays of technique. Rather than bringing it down to the late Edo period, viewing it as a Goto-lineage work from around the early to mid-Edo period better suits the dignity of the actual item, and the Hozon Tosogu Kanteisho issued in Showa 63 adds a sense of security from having been handed down for a long time. Against the tightened dimensions of 62.9 mm in length and 4.5 mm in thickness, the weight reaches 135.5 grams, and when held in the hand, one can feel the heavy sense of volume from the lavish use of shakudo-ji. In addition to this rich amount of base metal supporting its value, the elements of the precise nami-mon reaching the front, back, and mimi, the many hammered-in drops of gold and silver, the bird carvings and kin-zogan applied to the shibuichi ume-gane, and the Goto kiwame are all present; it is a high-density work that is dignified from a distance and can be enjoyed by exploring the details endlessly at hand. While it is a masterpiece sufficiently valuable with the current Hozon Tosogu Kanteisho, if one synthesizes the quality of the jigane, the precision of the engraving, the perfection of the design, and the state of preservation, it possesses content that allows for great expectations even in an examination for Tokubetsu Hozon Tosogu, and as a piece representing the shakudo beauty and nami-mon charm of Goto metalwork, it is a refined item suitable for long-term cherished possession.
Offered by Toushin
317 on the market
As written by the shop
Machine translation from the shop's Japanese · may contain errors ·
Iebori · Yamashiro
317 pieces on the market now
The Goto house stands as the preeminent dynasty of sword-fitting makers in the history of Japanese metalwork, an unbroken lineage of seventeen generations spanning from the founding master Yujo (1440--1512), who served Ashikaga Yoshimasa amid the refined culture of Higashiyama, through the final head Hojo (1816--1856) in the closing years of the Tokugawa shogunate. From its inception the house served successive rulers -- Ashikaga shoguns, Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and the Tokugawa -- and its productions became known as iebori, the "house carving" distinguished from machibori made for ordinary public demand. The fourth master Kojo first introduced warrior subjects and employed preparatory drawings by Kano Motonobu and Eitoku; the fifth master Tokujo struck the celebrated "Tokujo kiri" hallmark upon oban gold coinage for Hideyoshi; the third master Joshin -- "not only a metalworker but also a warrior" -- was killed in battle against the Azai clan in 1562. The seventh master Kenjo, praised since ancient times as a restorer of the house's fortunes (the finest exponents being termed Yuko-ken), traveled to Kaga and laid the foundations for the later flourishing of the Kaga-Goto tradition, while the tenth master Renjo carried the mainline from Kyoto to Edo, where it would remain through the seventeenth generation. The eleventh master Tsujo bridged the formal tradition with the expressive spirit of the Genroku era, and the thirteenth master Enjo served as an authoritative appraiser, authenticating works by earlier masters across the entire succession. The collective technical vocabulary of the Goto house is built upon shakudo nanako-ji grounds of extraordinarily minute and dense stippling, upon which motifs are rendered in takabori with kin-iroe and gin-iroe, frequently supplemented by solid gold (kinmuku) construction and kin'ura gilt backing. The sculptural manner is characterized by what the NBTHK repeatedly describes as "high mountains and deep valleys" -- a modulation of volume in which modeling rises emphatically while recesses are cut deep and clean, producing forceful and crisply articulated relief.
" Sojo inherited and tightened these forms with controlled elegance; Joshin amplified them to conspicuously larger scale with claws that are "characteristically large and long, with the tips splayed open"; Eijo brought a finer, more delicate precision to compositions of equally grand ambition; and Kenjo introduced a distinctive shosha quality -- austere and urbane -- that distinguished his work from the first six generations. The later masters sustained this discipline: Teijo's calm restraint and distinctive coloristic effects, Renjo's forty-five years of deeply worked takabori capturing instantaneous warrior movements, Tsujo's innovative left-right spreading compositions, and Hojo's reintroduction of machibori aesthetics into the official house style all demonstrate the lineage's capacity for renewal within tradition. The Goto house's enduring significance resides not merely in the technical excellence of individual masters but in the institutional continuity of a critical tradition sustained across four centuries. Works from the "upper six generations" (kami roku-dai) through Eijo established the canonical repertoire of prescribed okitemono motifs -- dragons, lions, paulownia crests, Kurikara, and auspicious figures -- while successive heads served simultaneously as makers and authenticators, issuing origami certificates and kiwame-mei inscriptions that themselves constitute important documents of connoisseurship. Valuations reaching one thousand kan and transmission through such distinguished collections as the Konoike, Shimazu, Tokugawa, and Maeda houses attest to the unrivaled esteem in which Goto metalwork has been held. Even Sokujo, whose tenure lasted barely four years before his death at thirty-two, left a small but distinguished body of work authenticated across eight subsequent generations of headmasters. From Yujo's founding vision through Hojo's final flowering -- whose technical command the NBTHK judges the finest from the twelfth master onward, betraying "not the slightest hint of the approaching conclusion" of the unbroken line -- the Goto house represents the defining standard against which all Japanese metalwork is measured, the wellspring from which the entire sokeN kinkO tradition flows. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Goto Joshin後藤乗真 | 1512-1562 | 68 |
| Goto Yujo後藤祐乗 | 1440-1512 | 41 |
| Goto Kenjo後藤顕乗 | 1586-1663 | 46 |
| Goto Sojo後藤宗乗 | 1461-1538 | 56 |
| Goto Teijo後藤程乗 | 1603-1673 | 42 |
Certifies a genuine fitting worth preserving: a correct signature, or, if unsigned, an identifiable era and school, with recognized artistic and craft value.
The NBTHK (Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai, the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords) is a public-interest incorporated foundation founded in 1948 and supervised by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs (Bunkachō); it is based at the Japanese Sword Museum in Tokyo. Its expert panels physically examine each submitted work (shinsa) and issue a certificate (kanteishō) ranking it by artistic and historical merit. NBTHK papers are the most widely recognized standard of authentication for Japanese swords and fittings.
NBTHK official siteAs a rule we do not accept returns, except when we have sent a different item from the one ordered or when there is a significant discrepancy between the description and the item. If you wish to return an item, please contact us within 3 days of its arrival and then send it back.
¥990,000