Ludolf Richter Posted June 17, 2015 Report Posted June 17, 2015 Hi,I just bought some nice Kozuka.One has a double Mei: (at the top) "Teijo saku" (Goto Teijo-9th master of the main line). At the bottom the Mei reads "Mitsuyoshi" with the standard Goto-Kao (Goto Shinjo). I remember having read that there are other examples,when a later Goto-Artist confirmed the work of an older Goto-Member. What was the reason for such a confirmation?On request by the owner of that piece?Ludolf Quote
Alan Morton Posted June 17, 2015 Report Posted June 17, 2015 hi Ludolf, I have a pair of menuki of snow covered mandarin trees that has Goto papers with them. Alan Quote
John A Stuart Posted June 17, 2015 Report Posted June 17, 2015 I hadn't heard that before. Teijo Mitsumasa really needs no endorsement does he?, unless the work doesn't meet his standard of skill, perhaps? It would be nice to see the kozuka in question, Ludolf. John Quote
nagamaki - Franco Posted June 17, 2015 Report Posted June 17, 2015 Attributions by a later generation is not uncommon, like many they still need to be confirmed as some can be sketchy thought to be done as a favor, generous. NBTHK papered example FYI, 1 Quote
Jussi Ekholm Posted June 17, 2015 Report Posted June 17, 2015 I know this is not entirely in the spirit of discussion board as I'm pointing you away from the board but have you contacted the European NBTHK? There are members who have amazing knowledge of Goto and I've had the pleasure of hearing few amazing lectures about them. I heard about this confirmation thing on the last meeting that I attended in May. However I do not want to quote what I remember because there is too much chance of me understanding it bit wrong, fittings are not my strong part and these Goto lectures have had so much information crammed into small time and it's bit too advanced for me to process all of it yet. You can PM me Ludolf and I can put you in touch with a person who held this latest Goto lecture. I just don't want to write how I remember it as it was bit over my understanding so my information is bit half-assed as I understood bits & pieces. You can get the best information directly from the source. Quote
Ludolf Richter Posted June 17, 2015 Author Report Posted June 17, 2015 Hi,here comes a pic.Ludolf Quote
Brian Posted June 17, 2015 Report Posted June 17, 2015 Ludolf, I hesitate to say this, and close-up pics are always misleading as far as quality is concerned, but that is not the quality of work and nanako I would expect from Goto school. I am sure you would agree, having been a collector of tosogu for a long time. The nanako doesn't line up well, and is not uniform as expected. Hope I'm wrong. Then again...I probably am wrong, considering this piece with papers: From here: http://www.bushidojapaneseswords.com/menuki.html Brian Quote
nagamaki - Franco Posted June 17, 2015 Report Posted June 17, 2015 Brian, the same thought crossed my mind about the nanako. However, as I look at Ludolf's image it reminds me of the repaired Juyo piece that was a NMB subject here not long ago, which leaves me to suspect that we are viewing another repair job. That possibility would explain the quality of the inlay along with the attribution combined with the nanako background. BTW, Brian, on your piece someone like Ford or Brian Tschernega could easily replace the missing silver drops. Quote
Ludolf Richter Posted June 17, 2015 Author Report Posted June 17, 2015 Thanks Brian.In fact,the nanako is totally uniform the same as with the 2 small sides (!).The backside with the Mei looks more metallic-black.The pic gives a wrong impression.In my eyes it's a quality piece! A new idea:Was the Kozuka a Mumei one,when it was shown to Goto Shinjo and did be therefore made both parts,when he was sure it was made by Goto Teijo?Ludolf Quote
nagamaki - Franco Posted June 17, 2015 Report Posted June 17, 2015 Quote Was the Kozuka a Mumei one,when it was shown to Goto Shinjo and did be therefore made both parts,when he was sure it was made by Goto Teijo?Ludolf Yes, it would have been mumei. What do you mean by made both parts? Ludolf, would it be possible to post additional images? The reason for suspecting repair is if you look right along the right edge of the middle long leaf it appears that a number of the nanako have been repunched in addition to some other signs that the inlay may have been refitted/reattached. Quote
Ludolf Richter Posted June 18, 2015 Author Report Posted June 18, 2015 Hi Franco,i tried in vain to get a sharper picture.From viewing the position you mentioned with a looking glass there are no signs at all to be seen,that the inlay has been refitted.All the punches on the 3 sides of the Kozuka had there been from the beginning. The question remains,why had certain Goto-Masters "papered" Mumei or not Mumei pieces of other Goto-guys with their Mei or -in case of Mumei-with an additional attribution.Ludolf Quote
nagamaki - Franco Posted June 18, 2015 Report Posted June 18, 2015 Hi Ludolf, Pure speculation but since it was common for Goto pieces to be made unsigned, strongly suspect when these pieces changed hands (and any original paper was lost, misplaced) that the new owner sought to have the name of the maker confirmed/certified. I would imagine that their was some formal authority for this task. A good question for someone like Mike Yamasaki san. Quote
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