Certification: NBTHK Hozon

Unsigned menuki with NBTHK attribution to Ko-Gotō (early mainline Gotō Family), dating from the late Muromachi period, ~ 1450-1600.

Kō Gotō generally refers to the first three or four Gotō masters of the Shirobei (main) line. This includes Yujō (Masaoku, 1439-1512), Sojō (Takemitsu, 1460-1538), Jōshin (Yoshihisa, 1511-1562), and  Kojō (Mitsuiye, 1530-1620). These early Gotō masters seldom signed their work.

The theme of this set is the 12 animals of the zodiac, a typical subject of the Gotō. The base metal is shakudō with gold highlights.

Photos by Jack Edick