A GOTO SCHOOL MITOKOROMONO

Details

A GOTO SCHOOL MITOKOROMONO
EARLY EDO PERIOD (CIRCA 1650), ATTESTED TO GOTO TEIJO BY GOTO SHINJO

This set of fittings is decorated with yuzu (citrus aurantium) fruits and pepper seeds (sansho). The fruits are in gold and the peppers in copper, gold, and shakudo, all set on a very fine grain nanako ground. The frames of the kogai and kozuka are gold with a 'cat scratched' ground. The menuki are solid gold and are en suite. The kogai and kozuka are attested on the back Mon Teijo and are signed Mitsuyoshi with kao below--kogai: length 21.4cm., width 1.2cm., thickness 5.5mm.; kozuka: length 9.6cm., width 1.4cm., thickness 6.75mm.; menuki: length 3.5cm., thickness 5.75mm.

Black lacquer box with paper with inscription by Sato Kanzan, dated summer, 1975.

Accompanied by an original origami written by Goto Shinjo and dated seventh day of the eleventh month, Bunsei 7 (1824), stating: Kin-iroe yuzu sansho mitokoromono. Menuki kin iroe nari, ura hokin sao shiyaji ushiro. Daikin san mai, go ryo. Goto Shirobei; and a tokubetsu kicho certificate issued by the N.B.T.H.K., no. 178, dated April 15th, 1971.

Provenance

Amiya (Ogura Soemon)
Alexander Moslé
Jay C. Leff
Joseph U. Seo, New York

Literature

Homma, Sato, Ogawa and Compton (1976), no. XXVIII, p. 128.
Mino and Robinson (1983), no. 27, p. 26.
One Hundred Masterpieces (1992), no. 79.

Lot Essay

Goto Teijo (1603-1673) was the ninth Shirobei mainline master of the Goto school. He was the first son of Goto Kenjo (1586-1663), seventh mainline master. Because Goto Sokujo, the eighth Shirobei mainline master, died young, Teijo inherited the title. He retired when Goto Renjo, the tenth master, came of age. Upon retirement Teijo became a retainer of Maeda Toshitsune (1593-1658) and lived in Kanazawa in Kaga Province. He later returned to Kyoto where he died.

His early work conforms to the classic Goto Shirobei tradition, but following his retirement he became more independent, and he conceived his own designs of which this is a fine example. His work is often overlooked and some of his early pieces are attributed to Renjo.

Goto Shinjo (Mitsuyoshi, 1780-1835) was the fifteenth Shirobei mainline master of the Goto school.