Lot Essay
In his notes Dr Compton remarks that Choshiki was a member of the Honnami family working for the Maeda household. In 1879, Maeda Yoshiyasu, directed him to identify the blade and had Yama-o Jiroku Tomonobu (who also assembled the koshirae) make a kin-zogan Masamune mei and Choshiki mei. The blade, thus attested, was given the next year to his son, Maeda Toshitsugu.
This tanto has certain similarities to blades by Masamune. It was de rigeur for a family of standing to own a Masamune blade and in the absence of a fully signed example Honnami Choshiki chose this blade as its style was so close to Masamune. A Masamune kinzoganmei was then applied. Dr. Compton comments in his notes that Homma Junji considered Sa, on the basis of forging and tempering, as the most likely smith.
Sa was famous for being one of the Masamune Jutetsu (Ten Great Students of Masamune). Also known as Saemon Saburo, he was originally from Okinohama, Hakata, in Chikuzen Province. His forging was principally itame (as in this example) and his tempering was mainly either suguha with undulations or midare. Overall, his blades did not display the strong exuberance normally found in the works of Masamune. There is a National Treasure tanto by Sa, signed Chikuzen [no] ju Sa (Sa, a resident of Chikuzen), displaying the same forging and tempering patterns of this example in the collection of Seki Hike, illustrated in Homma (1961), pl. 94.
According to the accompanying certificates, this remarkable koshirae was commissioned by Maeda Yoshiyasu, the 14th daimyo of Kanazawa in Kaga (died May 18, 1874) as a gift for the 12th birthday of his son and heir, Toshitsugu (1858-1900). Yoshiyasu commissioned Yama-o Jiroku Tomonobu (1821-1882) to make the gold parts of the koshirae: tsuba, fuchi-gashira, kozuka and kogai. Tomonobu then assembled the fittings and used the pair of Goto menuki on the tsuka and applied the kurikata and korigane. These latter can be associated with a very similar pair attributed to Goto Yujo fitted on a koshigatana-koshirae, also in the Maeda Collection, and now classified as an Important Cultural Property (Juyo bunkazai). According to Maeda family records, this mounting is thought to have belonged to Awataguchi Kuniyoshi (dates unknown) and to have been in the Ashikaga family at an early time; it then passed through various hands to Maeda Toshitsune (1593-1658). For a more detailed history, see Shimada (1973), pp. 4-5.
Noboru Kawaguchi has recorded the inscription on the tombstone of Yujo (died 1512) who is buried at Rendaiji in Kyoto. There are no details about his early life in Mino Province except that his childhood name was Mitsumaru and at the age of 18 he was given the name of Masaoku. As his fame grew and examples of his work reached Kyoto, he came to the attention of the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa (1435-1490), who commanded that Yujo should come to work for the Ashikaga court. He was patronized later by Yoshihisa and then Yoshitane, the next two shoguns. From the few extant records it seems he pleased his patrons, for he was given wide recognition and material rewards. By the time of his death, he had risen in rank and power and passed away a rich and cultured gentleman of the Kyoto court entourage. He was also a painter of some note and drew the designs he used as his subjects. In his drawings of shishi and kurikara-ryo (dragon entwined around a ken), he showed his skill with a brush, but what is more important is that he was able to transfer the spirit of these drawings to his carvings with much the same force and vigor.
The Yama-o artists were retainers of the Maeda at Kanazawa and famous in their own right and in several generations produced many fine fittings. (See Wakayama (1984), p. 625, for a history of the Yama-o family and p. 188, lower section, for a history of the Yamagawa family.) It is interesting to note that Yama-o Tomonobu was 49 and that Yamagawa Takatsugu was 42 at the time they worked on this koshirae. In 1862, Yamagawa Shigetaka was given the rank of hakuginshi (silversmith) to the daimyo and took the name Takatsugu some eight years before he made these fittings.
This tanto has certain similarities to blades by Masamune. It was de rigeur for a family of standing to own a Masamune blade and in the absence of a fully signed example Honnami Choshiki chose this blade as its style was so close to Masamune. A Masamune kinzoganmei was then applied. Dr. Compton comments in his notes that Homma Junji considered Sa, on the basis of forging and tempering, as the most likely smith.
Sa was famous for being one of the Masamune Jutetsu (Ten Great Students of Masamune). Also known as Saemon Saburo, he was originally from Okinohama, Hakata, in Chikuzen Province. His forging was principally itame (as in this example) and his tempering was mainly either suguha with undulations or midare. Overall, his blades did not display the strong exuberance normally found in the works of Masamune. There is a National Treasure tanto by Sa, signed Chikuzen [no] ju Sa (Sa, a resident of Chikuzen), displaying the same forging and tempering patterns of this example in the collection of Seki Hike, illustrated in Homma (1961), pl. 94.
According to the accompanying certificates, this remarkable koshirae was commissioned by Maeda Yoshiyasu, the 14th daimyo of Kanazawa in Kaga (died May 18, 1874) as a gift for the 12th birthday of his son and heir, Toshitsugu (1858-1900). Yoshiyasu commissioned Yama-o Jiroku Tomonobu (1821-1882) to make the gold parts of the koshirae: tsuba, fuchi-gashira, kozuka and kogai. Tomonobu then assembled the fittings and used the pair of Goto menuki on the tsuka and applied the kurikata and korigane. These latter can be associated with a very similar pair attributed to Goto Yujo fitted on a koshigatana-koshirae, also in the Maeda Collection, and now classified as an Important Cultural Property (Juyo bunkazai). According to Maeda family records, this mounting is thought to have belonged to Awataguchi Kuniyoshi (dates unknown) and to have been in the Ashikaga family at an early time; it then passed through various hands to Maeda Toshitsune (1593-1658). For a more detailed history, see Shimada (1973), pp. 4-5.
Noboru Kawaguchi has recorded the inscription on the tombstone of Yujo (died 1512) who is buried at Rendaiji in Kyoto. There are no details about his early life in Mino Province except that his childhood name was Mitsumaru and at the age of 18 he was given the name of Masaoku. As his fame grew and examples of his work reached Kyoto, he came to the attention of the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa (1435-1490), who commanded that Yujo should come to work for the Ashikaga court. He was patronized later by Yoshihisa and then Yoshitane, the next two shoguns. From the few extant records it seems he pleased his patrons, for he was given wide recognition and material rewards. By the time of his death, he had risen in rank and power and passed away a rich and cultured gentleman of the Kyoto court entourage. He was also a painter of some note and drew the designs he used as his subjects. In his drawings of shishi and kurikara-ryo (dragon entwined around a ken), he showed his skill with a brush, but what is more important is that he was able to transfer the spirit of these drawings to his carvings with much the same force and vigor.
The Yama-o artists were retainers of the Maeda at Kanazawa and famous in their own right and in several generations produced many fine fittings. (See Wakayama (1984), p. 625, for a history of the Yama-o family and p. 188, lower section, for a history of the Yamagawa family.) It is interesting to note that Yama-o Tomonobu was 49 and that Yamagawa Takatsugu was 42 at the time they worked on this koshirae. In 1862, Yamagawa Shigetaka was given the rank of hakuginshi (silversmith) to the daimyo and took the name Takatsugu some eight years before he made these fittings.