AN OSAKA KUNISUKE KATANA

OSAKA: KUNISUKE

Details

AN OSAKA KUNISUKE KATANA
EDO PERIOD (CIRCA 1670), ATTRIBUTED TO NAKA KAWACHI KUNISUKE (KUNISUKE II)

Configuration (sugata): with longitudinal ridge line (shinogi-zukuri), shallow peaked back (iori-mune) and medium point (chu-kissaki); length (nagasa): 2 shaku, 5 sun, 0.5 bu (76.0cm.); curvature (sori): torii-zori of 1.7cm.; increase in width of blade (fumbari): 1.1cm.; carving (horimono): maru-dome bo-hi on both sides.
Forging pattern (jihada): a fine-grained pear skin pattern (nashiji).
Tempering pattern (hamon): lavish and exhuberant o-choji resembling clusters of fists (kobushi-gata-choji), executed in nioi and fine nie, all highlighted by extensive 'legs' (ashi).
Point (boshi): slight notare-komi with a small point (ko-maru) and long kaeri extending past the yokote.
Tang (nakago). Shape (keitai): straight taper and ubu; file marks (yasurime): horizontal (kiri-yasuri); end (nakagojiri): small ha-agari kuri-jiri; holes (mekugi-ana): one; signature (mei): unsigned (mumei).

Shirasaya.

Koshirae comprising: a maroon saya decorated with chrysanthemum, foliage and a stream in black hiramaki-e; a tsuka with lacquered wrappings and set with gold menuki in the form of a three spider chrysanthemum and fuchi-kashira in silver, carved in relief with chrysanthemums and foliage on an ishime ground, the fuchi signed Seiryusai Toshikatsu tsukuru; the iron tsuba of chrysanthemum form, unsigned, Saotome school, circa 1700; the omeshi-kojiri executed in silver en suite to the fuchi-kashira (Tanaka school, 19th century)--length of koshirae 103.5cm.; length of tsuka 23.8cm.; diameter of tsuba 7.9cm.

Accompanied by a tokubetsu kicho token certificate, no. 144693, Showa 43 (1968), issued by the N.B.T.H.K.

Provenance

Glendining & Co. , London, 8 June 1961, lot 190.

Lot Essay

Known as Naka Kawachi Kunisuke (Kunisuke II), the smith studied under Kunisuke I, who himself was a student of Horikawa Kunihiro. Kunisuke II was best known for his robust choji which were arranged like clusters of fists and known as kobushi-gata-choji.

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