KOTZUKA

This collective of Japanese Bijutsu includes KODOGU of Robert E. Haynes & Elliott D. Long.

Tosogu: fittings, i.e.: tsuba, and kodogu which is/are: menuki, fuchi/kashira, kozuka, and kogai.

NOTE: All sword fittings (excluding Tsuba) have 'RANK'.

The MENUKI have first (1st) rank.
The KOGAI have second (2nd) rank.
The KOTZUKA have third (3rd) rank.
The FUCHI KASHIRA have fourth (4th) rank.
Fine KOROMONO Sets.
Fine KOSHIRAE available.

	EZO KOZUKA Serious Inquiries Only "Presented here is a great example of Ezo kozuka, dating Late Kamakura to Nambokucho Period (14th c.). The decorative plate is executed in repousse technique, and has been added to the housing. It has since slipped-out by roughly 1.5mm - the gap can be seen on the extreme right side adjacent to the housing. Substrate metal of the decorative plate is silver, and the gilding is gold. The housing is shibuichi, gilded with gold. The lack of margins to the decorative plate suggests it was once larger, and has been cut-down to fit the present housing. The motif is dynamic and lacks the geometry of typical Nambokucho and Muromachi pieces. A great example of a retrofitted piece." (Long)
	'RYUSO HOGEN' & Kao $5000.00 "" (Haynes)
	'MASUMI NOBUKATSU' & Kao $1000.00 "" (Haynes)
	OTSUKI MITSUOKI (Seals) $800.00 "Copper kozuka with carved design of an elephant and its trainer in low relief. With some gold inlay. The quality of the carving is very fine. The back side has gold strips as if the surface has been rubbed or cut from an overall gold plate. There is minor damage to the butt end of this piece that can be repaired. The bottom third has a large 'pot' seal of very good carving and below a Chinese style seal. These are the seals used by Otsuki Mitsuoki (H 05375.0) born 1766, died Aug. 15, 1834." (Haynes)
	'YASUCHIKA" $1000.00 "Write-up coming soon." (Haynes)
	'KANEYUKI' $600.00 "Kozuka of dark shibuichi with low relief shishiaibori (as was being used by the Sugiura Joi school shortly before this time). The design is of Hotei with his bag and holding a fan, with some gold inlay. The carving is of very high quality. This example has some damage to the butt end and a large dent in the center of the back plate. The back is signed, lower left, 'KANEYUKI' (H 02616.0). This is Hamano Kaneyuki, who was the second son of Hamano Shozui, the founder of the Hamano school." (Haynes)
	'YASUCHIKA' $2400.00 "This kozuka appears to be of shibuichi plate which now has a black lacquer surface that is probably original to the piece. The upper area is carved and inlaid with bold gold waves. The lower end is inlaid with an almost three dimensional mino-game, a sea turtle. The carapace of dark shibuichi and each section outlined in very fine silver wire flush inlay. The body is gold plate and carved in great detail. The reverse is carved with fine line "rain marks" following the vertical form of the plate. Bottom right is the signature: 'YASUCHIKA' (see H 11104.0). This is the signature of the "First Yasuchika". (Haynes)
	'HOSONO SOZAEMON MASAMORI' $900.00 "A Kozuka of shakudo depicting figures in a landscape with Mount Fuji in the distance. The mei reads... 'HOSONO SOZAEMON MASAMORI' . This prolific artist mostly made minute inlay of figures in various flush metals with surface carving. This is a first-class example of his work." (Haynes & Long) 9.80cm x 1.40cm
	'SUIFU JU ICHIYOKEN TOSHIHARU' $2100.00 "A very fine shakudo nanako base metal decorated with autumn grasses in takabori and iroe. The autumn grasses comprise of obana, kuzu nadeshiko, ominaeshi, fujibakama, and asagao which often appear in Japanese art. A shakudo MITO kinko kozuka dating to late Edo period." (Haynes) Dr. Torigoye Hakogake SARO + Kao, 1st Class Edo Period.
	'GOTO MITSUTAKA' and Kao $2000.00 "A very fine shakudo nanako base metal decorated with Chokaro Sennin (Daoist figure) in takabori and gold zogan. Signed: 'GOTO MITSUTAKA' and Kao. ( JUJO H 02267.0 ). Same as Shujo. Waki-Goto school. First son of Goto Unjo (H 11062.0) and second master of the Saburoemon line. His most gifted student was Yamazaki Ichiga who later studied with Goto Ichijo." (Haynes) Dates to Edo period, 18th century. Dr. Torigoye Hakogake SARO + Kao, 1st Class Edo Period.
	'GOTO JUNJO' and Kao $2000.00 "A very fine shakudo nanako base metal decorated with waves and rocks in shallow nikubori, shibuichi and gold zogan encased in gilt, some inlay missing. The waves are carved in the manner of the mainline Goto. Signed: 'GOTO JUNJO' (Mitsuaki) and Kao. H 02293.0. Junjo was the son of Beicho Seijo. Dates to mid Edo period." (Haynes) Dr. Torigoye Hakogake SARO + Kao, 1st Class Edo Period.
	'KOJU' $1800.00 "A very fine shakudo nanako base metal decorated with Dr. Torigoye Hakogake Lost Box, Late Edo Period.
	'HARUAKI' & Kao $3000.00 "A very fine shakudo nanako base metal decorated with a seated cat in front of an object. The cat inlaid with shakudo and silver and the dome inlaid in gold. 'KONO HARUAKI'. Often referred to as 'HARUAKI HOGEN'. Reference Haynes Index H 00760.0. Hakogake attribution by Professor Takao Ikeda.
	"SEN-JA MODE" Kozuka $2500.00 Provenance: Elliott Long. N.B.T.H.K. Hozon attribution dated Heisei 17, 2005. Hakogaki by Kubaro Yojoro dated February 2nd, 1944. "A Kozuka of great elegance depicting a journey."
	'YURAKUSAI SEKIBUN' $1800.00 Provenance: Elliott Long DAIKOKU. Since the 17th century, Daikoku has been most widely known as the Japanese god of wealth and farmers, although in earlier centuries he was considered a fierce protector deity. In Japan, artwork of this deity usually shows him wearing a hood and standing on bales of rice, carrying a large sack of treasure slung over his shoulder and holding a small magic mallet.
	HIZEN $500.00 Provenance: Elliott Long A classic design representing the tachi style of fuchi and kashira. The body of the kozuka represents the 'ray skin' used under the wrap of the tsuka. The amount of work designing this representation was masterful.
	'MON SOJO' $4100.00 Provenance: Elliott D. Long Graceful old kozuka attributed to Goto Sojo (??) (1461 - 1538), the 2nd mainline master of the Shirobei branch of the Goto family of sword furniture makers. The attribution is given by Goto Jujo (Mitsutada)H 02267.0. This work is the type that are always highly sought after, becoming cornerstones of any serious tosogu collection. This work is very delicate in the highest grade shakudo, with a deep, purple black patina. In profile, the boars are gold menuki that were created by Jujo and later mounted in high relief. The color contrast can be quite striking. (Long)
	'TSUCHIYA MASACHIKA' & Kao POA Provenance: Elliott Long. "A very fine shakudo base metal decorated with fowl in water with floating cherry blossoms." (Long & Haynes)

In English, there is an article by Alexander G. Mosle in the 'Transactions of the Japan Society of London', Vol. VIII, pg. 188, titled "The Sword Ornaments of the GOTOSHIROBEI FAMILY." Though this article is the prime source in this language, it has not given biographical detail nor has he gone into the details of technique by which the various masters could be discriminated from one another. Mr. Mosle used Kuwabara as his source and judge for obtaining information for this article and what it does say is trustworthy as far as it goes.