This is an unsigned kogai attributed to Ko-Goto, a group of Goto school artists from the late Muromachi to Momoyama period. It features an auspicious cloud (zuiun) design on a shakudo nanako ground, with a hi-jogi (groove ruler) depicted in gold iroe. This combination is unusual but results in a very pleasing piece.
Certificate reading — 無銘（古後藤）
NihontoWatchmumei · Ko-Goto · mid Muromachi (c. 1440)
Ko-Goto School
mid Muromachi (c. 1440)
Yamashiro
Unsigned
Tokuho (NBTHK)
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 sitePlease contact us by phone within 3 days of the item's arrival and ship it back the next day. The postage and security service fees are the customer's responsibility.
This is an unsigned kogai attributed to Ko-Goto, a group of Goto school artists from the late Muromachi to Momoyama period. It features an auspicious cloud (zuiun) design on a shakudo nanako ground, with a hi-jogi (groove ruler) depicted in gold iroe. This combination is unusual but results in a very pleasing piece.
Certificate reading — 無銘（古後藤）
NihontoWatchmumei · Ko-Goto · mid Muromachi (c. 1440)
Ko-Goto School
mid Muromachi (c. 1440)
Yamashiro
Unsigned
Tokuho (NBTHK)
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 sitePlease contact us by phone within 3 days of the item's arrival and ship it back the next day. The postage and security service fees are the customer's responsibility.
