An Actual Study of"OIEBORI" by the Goldsmiths Gotou Family

2002 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 13610066
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Fine art history
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: BABA Akira Interfaculty Initiative for Information Studies, Associate Professor, 大学院・情報学環, 助教授 (10208704)
• Project Period (FY): 2001 – 2002
• Keywords: The Goldsmiths Gotou Family / Gotou Shirobei / Gotou Kambei / chasing / sword accessories / Mitokoromono

Research Abstract

In this research metal carving works and historical records of which the Gotou Family, who were called Oiebori and had the privilege-status in many goldsmiths since the Muromachi time, especially of which the Gotou Shirobei Family as a head house and of which the Gotou Kambei family as a branch house, were analyzed from interdisciplinary viewpoints of study of history, art history, social story and religious story etc.. And the social meaning was considered while solving the operating system of all trade including metal carving trade by the Gotou Family.
The result of this research is in the first place to analyze basic historical record which possessed once by the Gotou Family and divided now into each organization, individual, etc., for example Goyo Nikki, Honcho, Kiwamecho, Horimono-hikae, and to extracts the design of each work and to build the model of the consistent procedure of a request, a manufacture, and an offer of works. The system of systematic work by the Gotou Family as a group of craftsmen was clarified. The second result is having decided the author of many works possessed on a special intention of the Gotou Shirobei Family as a head house, and having tried to clarify the artistic or social meaning of them.
The feature of the technique of this research is to aim at collation with reference of historical records and the works, and to process information about both historical-records and about works using a computer, further to have built a database which character information (description of historical records) and picture information (photographs of works) are linked. It is planned that the database is opened at public in the future. It is also the third result of this research to have reclaimed the open method of such a research result and the new methodology of study of art history.
On this research report are recorded color pictures and a table of all the works which have been possessed by the Gotou Shirobei Family, a monograph which performed synthetic consideration about the operating form of the Gotou Family's 3 trade (metal carving, oban-za, fundo-za), a monograph about the metal carving works by the Gotou Shirobei Family, and the catalogs of historical records of the Gotou Shirobei Family and the Goto Kambei family, and a reprint and reference data of important historical records. On the catalogs the historical records which in process of this research newly discovered is especially included