The Gotō School (後藤派) is the most prominent and representative tradition of tōsōgu masters. It existed from the mid-Muromachi period to the end of the Edo period. Its distinctive style is the use of pictorial patterns in high relief, executed primarily in shakudō (a gold-copper alloy), with the addition of gold, silver, and nanako. The school was founded by Gotō Yūjō (後藤祐乗, c. 1440-1512), whose patron was the eighth shōgun Ashikaga Yoshimasa (足利義政, 1436-1490). It is believed that the first six generations of Gotō masters did not sign their works. From the beginning of the Edo period, members of the Gotō School began attributing the works of their predecessors by adding their names to the reverse of the pieces.