NihontoWatchNihontoWatch後藤宗家十四代、桂乗光守鐔の特別保存刀装具指定作品。 後藤家は室町後期から幕末に至る装剣金工家の家系で、後藤祐乗を祖とし、足利将軍家以来、織田、豊臣、徳川の各将軍家に仕えて刀装具の制作、並びに貨幣の鋳造、墨判を勤めて17代に渡って繁栄した。代々将軍家の御用を勤めたところから、その作を「家彫」と称賛され、作品は鐔の製作は少なく、小柄、笄、目貫などを主として、いずれも用いる素材は赤銅、金、銀で、原則的に鉄は使用しなかった。 本作の作者、十四代桂乗光守は十二代光理の三男で、寛保元年（1741年）生まれ。兄十三代光孝に後継者がなかった為、兄の養子となり宗家十四代目を継承した。本作は現存稀な光守在銘の鐔である。上記のごとく元来後藤家では鐔の制作が稀なことに加え、光守は宗家歴代中特に自身銘の作品が希少な事で知られている。現存作は少なくとも制作に従事した期間は同家中でも長く、光孝の下で相当数の制作をこなしていたと見られ、技量は高く、漆黒に染まった赤銅一色で仕立てる将軍家お抱えたる後藤家の格式の高さと、耳から広がる笹の葉を全て手間の掛かる地彫鋤下げの手法を用いて制作するところに同作の手間を惜しまぬ実直な性格が窺えて好ましい優品である。
NihontoWatchOffered by Iida Koendo
3 on the market
Goto Keijo
Mid-Late Edo (1741-1804)
Signed
Hozon (NBTHK)
As written by the shop
(Translation unavailable)
Iebori · Yamashiro · around 1741-1804
3 pieces on the market now
Goto Mitsumori, art name Keijo, was the third son of the twelfth head of the main Goto line, Jujo Mitsusato. He was born in Kanpo 1 (1741), bearing the personal name Mitsutomo and the common name Kichigoro. Because the thirteenth head, Mitsutaka, left no heir, Mitsumori was adopted by his elder brother; after Mitsutaka's death, he changed his name to Shirobei Mitsumori and succeeded as the fourteenth head of the mainline Goto house. His position thus placed him at the summit of the most venerable metalworking lineage in the Japanese tradition, carrying forward the unbroken succession from Yujo through fourteen generations of service to the ruling authorities.
Mitsumori's oeuvre demonstrates the solid and reliable carving manner characteristic of the Goto house tradition (iebori), executed with painstaking attention throughout. His works are unified in a refreshing, pure black tonality of shakudo, rendered in both nanako-ji and migaki-ji grounds. He employed takabori, kebori with accents of kosuki-bori, and iroe in gold and silver, achieving compositions of ample volume and richly rounded high relief. His subjects encompassed traditional Goto themes — Kurikara, the legend of Huang Shigong and Zhang Liang, takara-zukushi, and kirin — while also extending to more pictorial compositions in a painting-like manner. The gold crests on his kozuka and kogai are noted for their large scale, excellent volume, and powerfully expressed presence.
The NBTHK characterizes Mitsumori's finest works as possessing a distinctive sense of "inner sumptuousness" achieved through restrained coloration and confident carving — a quality that brings forth his particular strengths to the fullest. Works bearing his own signature are comparatively few, lending additional significance to signed examples as important reference pieces. His mitokoromono sets are especially scarce and are counted among his representative achievements. Mitsumori's contribution resides in his faithful stewardship of the mainline Goto tradition during the latter half of the eighteenth century, demonstrating that the hereditary house manner retained its vitality and high standard into the late Edo period.
Where Goto Keijo stands among comparable artisans: across all of nihontō, and within tradition, era, and period. The tiers (Foremost · Leading · Major · Notable) weigh official designations from the NBTHK and Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs, together with historical honors of lasting repute such as the Sansaku and Meibutsu-chō.
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Iebori · Yamashiro
Phase: Goto Main Line後藤宗家· 1573–1900
309 pieces on the market now
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Goto Joshin後藤乗真 | 1512-1562 | 68 |
| Goto Yujo後藤祐乗 | 1440-1512 | 41 |
| Goto Sojo後藤宗乗 | 1461-1538 | 56 |
| Goto Kenjo後藤顕乗 | 1586-1663 | 46 |
| 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 siteFor returns at the customer's convenience, please notify us within two days of the item's arrival. Items that have been altered cannot be accepted. Return shipping is at the customer's expense. Costs other than the item price (bank transfer fees, cash-on-delivery fees, etc.) cannot be refunded. Items delivered overseas cannot be returned or refunded.
¥1,650,000