Design of Maru-Mado
Excellent kozuka by one of the most highly regarded Goto artists, Goto Etsujo. Etsujo is Goto Teijo's 2nd son. He is considered to be as, if not more, talented than his older brother . However, due to the Japanese system, and him being the 2nd son (the 1st son usually becomes the next master in the mainline), he ended up moving to the Rihei line. He was so skilled a worker that the Maeda Daimyo hired him for 150 koku (a very large amount of money!!!). He became the head teacher of fittings craftsmanship for the Maeda, and established the next masters to work for the Maeda family for many years to come. He was also asked to help the mainline do work for the Tokugawa family and thus went back and forth between the Tokugawa and the Maeda every 2 years or so.
As one can see from the extra difficult technique required to make this particular kozuka, it would take someone like Etsujo to make such a masterpiece. Since he wan't as restricted as those working directly under the mainline strict rules, he had the luxury of more artistic freedom to be able to create such exuberant pieces such as this "round window design". Excellent carving along with fine attention to detail make this piece extra special. Obviously being a master at the Maeda house had its advantages, no holds were on as far as materials were concerned (the Maeda were one of the richest Daimyo in the country), so as in this piece, all of the material used is of the highest grade, basically a piece made for a "king". The subject of the round viewing window establishes that this is a piece made for the higher class. NBTHK certificate to Goto Etsujo.
1642-1708
Unsigned –certified NBTHK Hozon to Goto Etsujo
9.70 length x 1.43 panel width x .48 cm thickness
$2200
