Project Info
Project Description
Goto School Solid Gold Menuki – Shishi and Botan
Tokubetsu Hozon, NBTHK
Among the most enduring iconographies of the Goto tradition, the pairing of shishi (mythical lion-dogs) with botan (peonies) reflects a synthesis of strength and grace—motifs long favored in the courtly and warrior aesthetics of the late Muromachi to early Edo periods. The peony, emblematic of wealth and refined beauty, coupled with the vigilant energy of the shishi, conveys a well-established visual language within the Goto repertoire, one often reserved for high-ranking commissions.
This pair of solid gold menuki, attributed to the Goto school, presents a fine sculptural quality with confident linework and depth of modeling characteristic of the later mainline generations. The work exhibits a matured handling of form and a balanced composition — suggesting not only technical assurance but a sensitivity to the rhythm and visual weight appropriate to mounting on a daimyo quality koshirae. While unsigned, the workmanship speaks directly to the stylistic idiom codified by Goto Yujo and refined by successive generations who served the Tokugawa bakufu and elite retainers.
Authenticated by the NBTHK with Tokubetsu Hozon kanteisho, these menuki represent a convergence of classical form and technical mastery. The material choice further emphasizes the level of patronage presumed in their commission.
Such pieces, while modest in scale, encapsulate the aesthetic priorities of the early Edo aristocracy, where surface, symbolism, and tradition coalesce into enduring objects of quiet power and prestige.
