SIGNED KUNITOSHI, KAMAKURA PERIOD (LATE 13TH/EARLY 14TH CENTURY); THE MOUNTS 19TH CENTURY

Details

A WAKIZASHI [SHORT SWORD]
Signed Kunitoshi, Kamakura Period (Late 13th/Early 14th Century); the Mounts 19th Century
The blade hirazukuri [with flat sides], mitsumune [tri-bevelled back], muzori [virtually no curve], itame-hada [wood-grain forging pattern], suguba [straight tempered edge] of ko-nie [fine hard bright areas of steel], maru-boshi [rounded turn-back to the tempering pattern in the point], 10 13/16in. (27.5cm.) long; encased in a saya [scabbard] with alternating whale bone and stained wood laminations with a small coral inlay to the kojiri [butt], slight old damage, with shibuichi kurikata [copper-silver alloy cord- fitting] decorated with two oni [demons] wrestling in shakudo [copper- gold alloy], copper and gilt, shibuichi and shakudo uragawara and koiguchi, shakudo nanako kozuka [knife-handle] depicting an egret alighting in takabori [high-relief carving] and gilt, encased in gilt, signed Mon Renjo Mitsuaki with a kao, the black wrapped tsuka [hilt] with a large shibuichi and shakudo menuki [fittings under the wrapping] of foreigners and an elephant in takazogan [high-relief inlay] and takabori, a crystal jewel inlaid above the elephant's head, details in gilt, signed Sekijoken Gensai with a kao and a shibuichi fuchi-kashira depicting wolves in shibuichi takazogan and usunikubori, signed Tenkodo Hidekuni and an oval shibuichi Mito- kinko tsuba depicting foreigners in takabori iroe, with signature Tetsugendo Naoshige

Literature

Lundgren Collection, no. 34.

Special notice

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Lot Essay

The maker of the fuchi-kashira, Hidekuni (1825-1891), was a student of Kawarabayashi Hideoki and became the second master after marrying Hideoki's daughter. His work is similar to that of his master Hideoki and was always elaborate yet graceful, a characteristic of his school. He made the fittings for the Emperor Komei's tanto [dagger] and in 1867, he made the Meiji Emperor's gunto [military sword] mounts in collaboration with Tokuoki, his brother-in-law.

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