A YAMASHIRO NOBUKUNI TANTO

YAMASHIRO: NOBUKUNI

Details

A YAMASHIRO NOBUKUNI TANTO
MUROMACHI PERIOD (CIRCA 1400), SIGNED GENZAEMON (NO) JO NOBUKUNI

Configuration (sugata): of flat, wedge section (hira-zukuri); length (nagasa): 1 shaku, 1 bu (30.5cm.); curvature (sori): none (mu-zori) with slight uchizori; carving (horimono): bo-hi ni tsure-hi on both sides.
Forging pattern (jihada): wood grain (itame) and small wood grain (ko-itame).
Tempering pattern (hamon): narrow suguba in nioi and ko-nie and with utsuri.
Point (boshi): small rounded (ko-maru).
Tang (nakago). Shape (keitai): regular and unshortened (ubu) with a thin, soft brown patina; file marks (yasurime): slanted (katte-sagari); end (nakagojiri): rounded (kuri-jiri); holes (mekugi-ana): one; signature (mei): Genzaemon (no) jo Nobukuni.

In shirasaya with attestation by Homma Junji.

Accompanied by a juyo token certificate, no. 6343, Showa 54 (1979), issued by the N.B.T.H.K.

Literature

N.B.T.H.K., Juyo token to zufu, vol. 26.
One Hundred Masterpieces (1992), no. 24.

Lot Essay

For a comparable mei, see the Momoyama period illustrated handscroll Kotoku toezu shusui, vol. 1, no. 21.

Genzaemon Nobukuni (Nobukuni III) was a student of his older brother Shikibu Nobukuni (Nobukuni II, also Oei era [1394-1427]), who himself was a student of their father, Nobukuni (Nobukuni I). Nobukuni I was a student of Ryokai. The wide shape of this blade and the narrow suguba resemble an early Soshu style blade in the manner of Ryokai more than the more exuberant blades of Nobukuni I.

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