Knife Handle (Kozuka)

The inscription is by Gotō Mitsumasa (1695–1742), twelfth generation master of the main line Gotō School. It indicates that the chiseled gold peony ornament is by his predecessor, Gotō Kojō (1529–1620), fourth generation Gotō master, while the rest of the knife handle is by Mitsumasa. It features a design of a peony.

Credit: Gift of the Baber Family, in loving memory of Charles Chenault Baber, 2012