These are Kogoto (Old Goto) menuki featuring a parent and child lion design, made of solid gold (kinmuku). The Goto family served the shogunate for 400 years, and the first three generations are known as Ko-Goto. These menuki are designated as Tokubetsu Hozon Tosogu (specially preserved fittings).
NihontoWatchMuromachi
Ko-Goto School
Muromachi
Tokuho
Iebori · Kyoto
The term Ko-Gotō refers to works of the Gotō family from the time of the first master, Yūjō, in the Muromachi period, through approximately the fifth master, Tokujō, in the Momoyama period, for which it is not possible to determine the individual artist's personal name. These unsigned pieces represent the formative period of the Gotō house—the official metalworkers to the Ashikaga and later Tokugawa shogunates—and embody the foundational aesthetic principles that would define the school's centuries-long dominance of elite tōsōgu production. Learn more →
A Hozon-certified fitting of notably superior craftsmanship and condition, often with signature or workmanship of high reference 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 siteReturns/exchanges/cancellations not accepted after shipment except for significant defects; if defective, return/exchange possible within 3 days of arrival (return shipping paid by customer).
These are Kogoto (Old Goto) menuki featuring a parent and child lion design, made of solid gold (kinmuku). The Goto family served the shogunate for 400 years, and the first three generations are known as Ko-Goto. These menuki are designated as Tokubetsu Hozon Tosogu (specially preserved fittings).
NihontoWatchMuromachi
Ko-Goto School
Muromachi
Tokuho
Iebori · Kyoto
The term Ko-Gotō refers to works of the Gotō family from the time of the first master, Yūjō, in the Muromachi period, through approximately the fifth master, Tokujō, in the Momoyama period, for which it is not possible to determine the individual artist's personal name. These unsigned pieces represent the formative period of the Gotō house—the official metalworkers to the Ashikaga and later Tokugawa shogunates—and embody the foundational aesthetic principles that would define the school's centuries-long dominance of elite tōsōgu production. Learn more →
A Hozon-certified fitting of notably superior craftsmanship and condition, often with signature or workmanship of high reference 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 siteReturns/exchanges/cancellations not accepted after shipment except for significant defects; if defective, return/exchange possible within 3 days of arrival (return shipping paid by customer).
