A SOSHU TACHI BEARING AN ATTRIBUTION TO GO YOSHIHIRO

Details

A SOSHU TACHI BEARING AN ATTRIBUTION TO GO YOSHIHIRO
KAMAKURA PERIOD (CIRCA 1330), BEARING AN ATTESTATION TO GO YOSHINO

Configuration (sugata): with longitudinal ridge line (shinogi-zukuri), shallow peaked back (iori-mune) and medium point (chu-kissaki); length (nagasa): 2 shaku, 1 sun, 7 bu (66.1cm.); curvature (sori): torii-zori of 1.2cm.; increase in width of blade (fumbari): 0.8cm.; carving (horimono): later kaki-nagashi bo-hi on both sides.
Forging pattern (jihada): o-mokume.
Tempering pattern (hamon): an elegant irregular midare of large nie culminating mid-blade on both sides with an upsweep resembling billowing cloud formations; the hamon is heightened by long patches of 'swept sands' partially overlapping sprinklings of 'legs' (ashi) and yo.
Point (boshi): ichimai.
Tang (nakago). Shape (keitai): o-suriage; file marks (yasurime): sujikai; end (nakagojiri): rounded (kurijiri); holes (mekugi-ana): three; signature (shumei): outside: Kato Go Yoshihiro; inside: Honnami Choshiki with kakihan and saidan-mei.

Shirasaya with attestation by Honnami Choshiki, dated Meiji 25 (1891).

Provenance

Lillard P. Miller, San Antonio, Texas

Lot Essay

Kato Kiyomasa (1562-1611) lost his father at the age of three. His mother was related to the mother of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who raised and educated the child. Rising in importance, first as Kazue no kami and later as governor of Higo, he commanded the vanguard forces of the 1592 Korean expedition at the age of 20. Highly successful as a military commander and named "Devil General" by the Korean forces, he was recalled because of his stand against proposals for peace. He was dispatched to Korea in 1597 when fighting renewed, returned to Japan after Hideyoshi's death in 1598 and died in 1611 at the age of 49.