Kozuka hilt with Chinese phoenix design

This knife handle is made of gold and copper alloy worked in a raised fish-egg pattern. Against this black background, phoenixes are represented in high-relief carving and highlighted with gold. On the reverse, it has an inscription that reads ‘Goto Mitsuaki with kao (stylized signature).’ Mitsuaki, also called Junjo, was the 2nd head of the Goto Gonbei family, known as the chasers in Kyoto.