This is a tsuba made by Goto Mitsuaki in the late Edo period. It features a high relief carving and color enamel depiction of the Fukurokuju deity with a crane and ox on a shakudo nanako ground. The tsuba is certified as Juyo Tosogu by the NBTHK.
方乗光晃は、文化十三年、後藤宗家十五代真乗光美の三男として生まれる。 天保六年七月、父の光美が五十六歳で隠居したのを期に家督を 相続し、四郎兵衛光晃と名乗って後藤宗家十六代目となり、安政三年六月に四十一歳で歿した。光晃は、十二代光理以降の各代にあって最も技 倆が優れていると称されている。 本作は、鐔に福禄寿を、縁に寿老を表し、ともに福神を表現している。中国においては人生の三大目的とする福(幸福)・禄(身分)・寿(寿命) を兼備した象徴が福禄寿であり、その姿は背が低く、長い頭に髭、巻物を結んだ杖を持ち鶴を伴う。一方寿老人も背は低く、長い頭に髭、巻物 を付けた杖に、こちらは鹿を連れている姿である。 余白を存分にとり、対象を実直に描いた本作であるが、さすがに人物の表情まで細やかに豊かに制作している。 おめでたい画風がより穏やか に伝わる光晃の優品である。
NihontoWatch
Goto Mitsuaki
Edo
Signed
Jūyō #66 (NBTHK)
Iebori · Yamashiro
2 pieces on the market now
Gotō Mitsuaki (後藤光晃) was the sixteenth head of the Gotō mainline (sōke), born in Bunka 13 (1816) as the third son of Shinjō Mitsuyoshi, the fifteenth master. In the seventh month of Tenpō 6 (1835), upon his father's retirement at the age of fifty-six, Mitsuaki succeeded to the family headship, took the hereditary name Shirōbei, and assumed his art name Hōjō. He served as head of the house for twenty-one years until his death from illness in the sixth month of Ansei 3 (1856), at the age of forty-one. The Gotō mainline had resided in Edo since Kanbun 2 (1662), when the tenth master Renjō — who also bore the art name Mitsuaki — relocated the family from Kyoto; the sixteenth-generation Mitsuaki thus inherited a tradition of metropolitan patronage and shogunal service. According to his own techō (work record), in Tenpō 8 (1837) he produced Tenpō five-ryō oval gold pieces by shogunal order and manufactured 1,887 ōban large gold plates, underscoring his technical command well beyond the realm of decorative metalwork.
Mitsuaki's oeuvre is distinguished by an unwavering commitment to the Gotō house carving idiom (iebori): takabori and finely controlled iroe on shakudō nanako-ji grounds, with kin'ura gilded backs — the canonical techniques of the mainline tradition[[c:1]] executed to an exceptional degree of finish. His chisel work is characterized by "high mountains and deep valleys," imparting vigorous movement and energetic momentum to figural subjects, while his compositional sense favors ample open space rendered with "straightforward sincerity." The NBTHK setsumei repeatedly note his "rich, dense manner" and the "delicacy and richness" extending even to facial expressions. Chromatic planning is a hallmark: beyond painstaking gold and silver iroe, he employs suaka with deliberate effect to introduce what the NBTHK terms a "rustic, natural flavor" (yashū). His kozuka and kōgai are constructed by the jiita inlay-fitting method with characteristically long warabite feet, and the reverse of his menuki is finished with thick gold backing (atsugane-dashi). Several setsumei observe the influence of machibori (town-carver) aesthetics and the "brilliant, decorative manner favored from the late Edo period into the Bakumatsu era," suggesting what the NBTHK calls "a new style of official Gotō carving" emerging after the family's long establishment in Edo.
Across the designated corpus, the NBTHK consistently accords Mitsuaki a singular evaluative standing: he "possessed the finest technical skill among the successive generations from the twelfth master onward" — a formulation repeated virtually without variation across fifteen setsumei and constituting the defining institutional assessment of his place within the lineage. His works are praised as possessing "elevated dignity," "lofty dignity," and "a dignified, refined overall unity," with individual pieces called "excellent" (yūhin) and "masterpiece" (meisaku). That the long, unbroken line of the Gotō metalworking house would end after only one more generation lends his achievement a valedictory weight: as the NBTHK observes of one spirited mitokoromono, the work is "bracing, betraying not the slightest hint of such an approaching conclusion." Mitsuaki's legacy thus stands as the final flowering of mainline Gotō craftsmanship at its technical zenith — the last master in whom institutional consensus recognizes the house tradition carried to its highest degree of realization.
Where Mitsuaki 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.
Select a lens to see how it's measured.
Iebori · Yamashiro
311 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. 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 | 55 |
| Goto Eijo後藤栄乗 | 1577-1617 | 35 |
Exceptional craft of very high artistic value, judged to rank with a nationally recognized Important Art Object (Jūyō Bijutsuhin).
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 siteCustomer-initiated returns accepted within two days of arrival; return shipping paid by customer and fees non-refundable. Returns/refunds unavailable for overseas deliveries.
This is a tsuba made by Goto Mitsuaki in the late Edo period. It features a high relief carving and color enamel depiction of the Fukurokuju deity with a crane and ox on a shakudo nanako ground. The tsuba is certified as Juyo Tosogu by the NBTHK.
方乗光晃は、文化十三年、後藤宗家十五代真乗光美の三男として生まれる。 天保六年七月、父の光美が五十六歳で隠居したのを期に家督を 相続し、四郎兵衛光晃と名乗って後藤宗家十六代目となり、安政三年六月に四十一歳で歿した。光晃は、十二代光理以降の各代にあって最も技 倆が優れていると称されている。 本作は、鐔に福禄寿を、縁に寿老を表し、ともに福神を表現している。中国においては人生の三大目的とする福(幸福)・禄(身分)・寿(寿命) を兼備した象徴が福禄寿であり、その姿は背が低く、長い頭に髭、巻物を結んだ杖を持ち鶴を伴う。一方寿老人も背は低く、長い頭に髭、巻物 を付けた杖に、こちらは鹿を連れている姿である。 余白を存分にとり、対象を実直に描いた本作であるが、さすがに人物の表情まで細やかに豊かに制作している。 おめでたい画風がより穏やか に伝わる光晃の優品である。
NihontoWatchGoto Mitsuaki
Edo
Signed
Jūyō #66 (NBTHK)
Iebori · Yamashiro
2 pieces on the market now
Gotō Mitsuaki (後藤光晃) was the sixteenth head of the Gotō mainline (sōke), born in Bunka 13 (1816) as the third son of Shinjō Mitsuyoshi, the fifteenth master. In the seventh month of Tenpō 6 (1835), upon his father's retirement at the age of fifty-six, Mitsuaki succeeded to the family headship, took the hereditary name Shirōbei, and assumed his art name Hōjō. He served as head of the house for twenty-one years until his death from illness in the sixth month of Ansei 3 (1856), at the age of forty-one. The Gotō mainline had resided in Edo since Kanbun 2 (1662), when the tenth master Renjō — who also bore the art name Mitsuaki — relocated the family from Kyoto; the sixteenth-generation Mitsuaki thus inherited a tradition of metropolitan patronage and shogunal service. According to his own techō (work record), in Tenpō 8 (1837) he produced Tenpō five-ryō oval gold pieces by shogunal order and manufactured 1,887 ōban large gold plates, underscoring his technical command well beyond the realm of decorative metalwork.
Mitsuaki's oeuvre is distinguished by an unwavering commitment to the Gotō house carving idiom (iebori): takabori and finely controlled iroe on shakudō nanako-ji grounds, with kin'ura gilded backs — the canonical techniques of the mainline tradition[[c:1]] executed to an exceptional degree of finish. His chisel work is characterized by "high mountains and deep valleys," imparting vigorous movement and energetic momentum to figural subjects, while his compositional sense favors ample open space rendered with "straightforward sincerity." The NBTHK setsumei repeatedly note his "rich, dense manner" and the "delicacy and richness" extending even to facial expressions. Chromatic planning is a hallmark: beyond painstaking gold and silver iroe, he employs suaka with deliberate effect to introduce what the NBTHK terms a "rustic, natural flavor" (yashū). His kozuka and kōgai are constructed by the jiita inlay-fitting method with characteristically long warabite feet, and the reverse of his menuki is finished with thick gold backing (atsugane-dashi). Several setsumei observe the influence of machibori (town-carver) aesthetics and the "brilliant, decorative manner favored from the late Edo period into the Bakumatsu era," suggesting what the NBTHK calls "a new style of official Gotō carving" emerging after the family's long establishment in Edo.
Across the designated corpus, the NBTHK consistently accords Mitsuaki a singular evaluative standing: he "possessed the finest technical skill among the successive generations from the twelfth master onward" — a formulation repeated virtually without variation across fifteen setsumei and constituting the defining institutional assessment of his place within the lineage. His works are praised as possessing "elevated dignity," "lofty dignity," and "a dignified, refined overall unity," with individual pieces called "excellent" (yūhin) and "masterpiece" (meisaku). That the long, unbroken line of the Gotō metalworking house would end after only one more generation lends his achievement a valedictory weight: as the NBTHK observes of one spirited mitokoromono, the work is "bracing, betraying not the slightest hint of such an approaching conclusion." Mitsuaki's legacy thus stands as the final flowering of mainline Gotō craftsmanship at its technical zenith — the last master in whom institutional consensus recognizes the house tradition carried to its highest degree of realization.
Where Mitsuaki 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.
Select a lens to see how it's measured.
Iebori · Yamashiro
311 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. 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 | 55 |
| Goto Eijo後藤栄乗 | 1577-1617 | 35 |
Exceptional craft of very high artistic value, judged to rank with a nationally recognized Important Art Object (Jūyō Bijutsuhin).
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 siteCustomer-initiated returns accepted within two days of arrival; return shipping paid by customer and fees non-refundable. Returns/refunds unavailable for overseas deliveries.
