Whats makes Goto a Goto?

[Rickisan]

Good Morning Gang-

 

I just purchased this tsuba from Ed, over at Yakiba. I bought it because I liked the design, and wanted a good Shakudo nanako to learn from.(and I could afford it :D )

 

Before I ask my question, let me clearly state Ed told me,"the early masters did not sign their works...thereby making this signature highly suspect at best, and in all likelihood gimei".

 

My question is not about the mei, I liked the design to beigin with.

 

The question is,"What makes it a Goto?" If anyone can enlighen me...maybe it will help me, or other rookie's getting interested in tsuba as well. Hoping the NMB, "tsuba guru's" could lend a hand.

 

It has nice carvings of Daikoku and Ebisu, the Gods of farmers and fishermen.

 

Aside from a few little areas where the nanako seems like it could be straighter, or maybe punched from a different angle...what are the special traights of the Goto Masters.

 

Hey look...on my 25th post...I actually asked a pretty good question ...I think

 

Regards,

Rick

[Rickisan]

Sorry about the links...I just tried resizing them in "Paint" lets hope they display without having to click a link.

Rick

[Brian]

Rick,

 

Not an easy one to answer, as the result fills quite a few books on the subject.

I do suggest reading through some of Rich's pages on Goto, which can be found here:

http://www.nihontokanjipages.com/tosogu.com/?p=155

http://www.nihontokanjipages.com/tosogu.com/?p=158

http://www.nihontokanjipages.com/tosogu.com/?p=159

I think that should answer some of the questions, and provide some excellent examples.

 

Regards,

Brian

[Bungo]

I find the details lacking in this case...........

 

milt

[Rickisan]

I was hoping the question wouldnt lead to a bunch of links...(nobody likes clicking off somewhere else)

 

The tsuba doesnt look too bad...when compared to other shakudo/nanako items in auction catalogs, and other refrences.

 

So...this is not Goto. I am cool with that. Can anyone elaborate on it on perhaps, any ideas about what inspired it?

 

Just wondering what the defining characteristics of genuine Goto stuff are.

 

Thanks,

 

Rick

[Guest reinhard]

GOTO-school lasted for more than 350 years, including many artists with various skills. The question "Goto or not?" doesn't make much sense without referring to a particular master.

On the other hand Goto-artists had an obligation to keep up a minimal standard of workmanship and were restricted to work within certain boundaries only, since they were not just any Kinko. I'm afraid your Tsuba doesn't fit these criteria.

 

reinhard

[Rickisan]

I was hoping to see some examples of real Goto.

 

To narrow it down to a master...how about Goto Sojo. (thats the gimei signature says)

 

Anyone have an example of his work?

 

Thanks for the knowledge - Rick

[Jean]

http://www.nihontokanjipages.com/person ... -biwa.html

[Rickisan]

Thanks Jean

 

You never fail to help out the newbies.

 

Rick

[Jean]

You should thanks Rich T, after all it's his website :D :D

[nagamaki - Franco]

I was hoping to see some examples of real Goto.

 

To narrow it down to a master...how about Goto Sojo. (thats the gimei signature says)

 

Anyone have an example of his work?

 

Thanks for the knowledge - Rick

 

For starters the early Goto masters, of which Sojo was the 2nd mainline master, did not make tsuba. As for seeing examples of Goto tsuba here is yet another link, http://www.mfa.org/collections/search_art.asp?coll_keywords=Goto+tsuba , which hopefully will be tolerated even by someone that doesn't like clicking off to someplace else