Menuki: Millet
Signature/mei: mumei
School: Ko-Goto
Material: shakduo, gold
Era/jidai: Momoyama
Dimensions: (left): 36.1mm x 12.7mm
Dimensions (right): 35.6mm x 13.1mm
Kiri box
NBTHK: Hozon (2021) – “Millet” – Ko Goto
Price: €950 / $1050 / ¥150000
The term “Ko-Goto” covers the first three generations of the Goto main line, also called the Shirobei line. So here we see menuki, which may have been made by Goto Yujo (1st generation), Goto Sojo (2nd generation) or Goto Joshin (3rd generation) who lived and worked in the Momoyama period.
The age of the menuki is also noticeable in the slightly rubbed gold plating, through which the base material, here shakudo, stands out. However, this is not a disadvantage; on the contrary, it contributes to the Japanese aesthetic. It also shows that these menuki were mounted on a tsuka and where they were used.
The design of “Millet” also points to a work by Goto.
