SWORD-FURNITURE
art of inlaying (zogan), as applied to sword ornaments, was also inaugurated by Joshin, and his productions are the most varied and peculiar of the iye-bori works. His work may be compared to a brave warrior who is not only a strong guardian but also a trusty councillor; for while it has boldness and strength, it has also something of delicacy and softness. He bore a different art-flower, but the same fruit as his predecessor.
4. Kwōjō, called also Mitsuiye, was born in 1 530, and died in 1620. He was a son of Joshin. His work resembles that of Yujō in style. It is noble and dignified, neither too strong nor too weak. The impression it conveys is that of resting under the green shadow of a patriarchal pine and looking out on a glow of cherry bloom. Or it may be compared to a noble lady standing beside the brushwood gate of a rustic dwelling.
5. Tokujō, called also Mitsutsugu, was the son of Kwōjō. Born 1549; died 1631. Hideyoshi, the Taikō, conferred an estate on him in the year 1580. His work has the characteristic of strong surface modelling, and many specimens are scarcely distinguishable from those of his father Kwōjō. Looking at his designs, one is reminded of white sails scattered near and far over the wide bosom of the sea when the brooding breath of spring softens their outlines. It was in Tokujō's time that the custom originated of issuing certificates of authenticity (orikami) with the works of the Goto family. One of his sons, Chōjō, became the founder of a branch of the family known as the "Shimo-Goto" (lower Goto).
6. Yeijō, called also Masamitsu, the son of Tokujō, was born in 1574 and died in 1617. His work combines the finished skill of both Kwōjō and Tokujō, and has, at the same time, a certain quality of richness, tenderness, and restfulness. One may find a comparison in the view of a little boy driving an ox to pasture on a verdant plain; or the carriage of a nobleman standing beside a rustic fence over which convolvulus blossoms cluster.
7. Kenjō, called also Masatsugu, was a son of Tokujō. He represented the family during the minority of his nephew Sokujō, and was promoted to the rank of Hokkyo.
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