A BIZEN OSAFUNE STYLE TANTO, PROBABLY ETCHU UDA

Details

A BIZEN OSAFUNE STYLE TANTO, PROBABLY ETCHU UDA
MUROMACHI PERIOD, BEARING A DATE OF EIROKU 5 (1562), INSCRIBED BIZEN (NO) KUNI OSAFUNE KIYOMITSU; MOUNTS BY ARAKI TOMEI, SEIUNSHA TOHO AND GOTO MITSUMASA

Configuration (sugata): of flat, wedge section (hira-zukuri) with shallow peaked back (iori-mune); length (nagasa): 1 shaku (30.6 cm.); curvature (sori); none (muzori); carving (horimono): inside (ura): short katana-hi; outside (omote): ken.
Forging pattern (jihada): wood burl (mokume).
Tempering pattern (hamon): medium suguba.
Point (boshi): small rounded (ko-maru).
Tang (nakago). Shape (keitai): Bizen and ubu; file marks (yasurime): kiri-yasuri; end (nakagojiri): rounded (kuri-jiri); holes (mekugi-ana): two; signature (katanamai): Bizen (no) Kuni Osafune Kiyomitsu; date (jidai): Eiroku 5-nen 8-gatsu hi (a day in the 8th month of Eiroku 5 (1562)).

Shirasaya.

Aikuchi-koshirae comprising: a black lacquer saya with ishime surface streaked with dull gold mist and cherry blossoms, fitted with shibuichi mounts, including: a kojiri with a moon above cottages in gold, silver and shakudo signed Tomei with kao (1817-1850, a student of Goto Tojo uragawara with gold fish and cherry blossoms in a stream; kurikata with gold and shakudo cranes in flight, signed Tomei; the same tsuka is fitted with shibuichi fuchi kashira applied in gold, silver and shakudo with Mt. Fuji, a torii and bridge, the kashira signed Ginshotei and the fuchi signed Tomei with kao and with a pair of silver, gold and shakudo menuki in the form of dogs, signed Goto Mitsumasa (1836-1904, 7th master of the Hanzaemon line); the shibuichi kozuka, with blade by Fujiwara Kinmichi (Mishima school), is applied with a shakudo pine, gold torii and silver cherry blossoms, signed Seiunsha Toho with kao (1824-1859, a student of Goto Tojo); the shibuichi kogai is carved and applied in copper and gold with maple leaves on a stream and similarly signed--length of koshirae 49.2cm.; length of tsuka 12.5cm.; length of kozuka 9.6cm.; length of kogai 21.3cm.

Provenance

Douglas J.K. Wright, London

Lot Essay

Araki Tomei (1817-1870) was born in Kyoto and became a student of Goto Ichijo and Goto Tojo (1790-1862), seventh master of the Kambei branch line and maker of fittings for the Maeda daimyo in Kaga. Although he made many pieces in both the traditional Goto style and the Ichijo style, he was most famous for his designs employing millet heads.

Seiunsha Toho (Sato Toho, 1824-1859) was also a student of Goto Tojo and this set of mounts was probably made at the time when Mitsumasa and Tomei were students of Tojo.

All these artists were students of Goto Tojo (1790-1862), 7th master of the Kambei Goto line. He did carving by Imperial decree in 1842. He also composed haiku.