A BIZEN KATANA

細節
A BIZEN KATANA
NAMBOKUCHO PERIOD (CIRCA 1340), ATTRIBUTED TO BIZEN KANEMITSU

Sugata: unokubi-zukuri with mitsu-mune and o-kissaki; nagasa: 2 shaku, 4 sun, 8 bu (75.2 cm.); saki-zori of 1.2 cm; horimono: naginata-hi ni ito-hi. Jihada: strong masame mokume. Hamon: ko-gonome choji midare in nie and nioi and with areas of strong sunagashi, especially on the omote. Boshi: midare-komi with almost no kaeri. Nakago: strongly tapering, probably ubu and with a soft brown patina; yasurime: katte-sagari; nakagojiri: iri-yamagata; mekugi-ana: one; mei: mumei. Shirasaya and silk brocade storage bag.

拍品專文

Kanemitsu is famous as one of the Ten Great Pupils of Masamune (Masamune Jutetsu). Son of Kagemitsu and grandson of Nagamitsu, Kanemitsu produced blades which reflected the political climate of a time when the rival forces of the Northern and Southern Imperial Courts fought for control of the country. The practical demands of the battlefield, where the majority of fighting was done on foot with greatly improved armor, required straighter, wider and heavier blades.
The unokubi-zukuri configuration of this example is typical of Nambokucho proportions: thin in cross-section, relatively straight with a pronounced point and creating the appearance of a much heavier blade than it actually is. Dr. Homma wrote that he agreed with the long-standing theory that there were two generations of Kanemitsu, one working circa 1325-1340 and one working circa 1340-1368

This katana was inherited circa 1920 by the great-grandmother of the present owner.