Lot 209
209
BIZEN: KO-BIZEN
A KO-BIZEN TACHI

Details
A KO-BIZEN TACHI
HEIAN PERIOD (CIRCA 1000), SIGNED BIZEN (NO) KUNI TOMONARI SAKU

Configuration (sugata): with longitudinal ridge line (shinogi-zukuri), shallow peaked back (iori-mune) and medium point (chu-kissaki); length (nagasa): 2 shaku, 3 sun, 6.5 bu (71.9 cm.); curvature (sori): koshi-zori of 2.3 cm.; increase in width of blade (fumbari): 0.95 cm.
Forging pattern (jihada): evenly and well-compacted mokume. Tempering pattern (hamon): remarkably fine and well-organized ko-choji in frosty Bizen nioi with bright nie forming areas of kinsuji and inazuma, the nie becoming slightly more agressive in the monouchi and near the hamachi and forming drifting configurations which somewhat resemble sunagashi.
Point (boshi): fully rounded (o-maru) and with no kaeri.
Tang (nakago). Shape (keitai): wide, slightly curved, narrowing 0.7cm. and slightly shortened (suriage) (approximately 9cm.); file marks (yasurime): slanted (sujikai); end (nakagojiri): rounded (kuri-jiri); holes (mekugi-ana): two; signature (tachimei): Bizen (no) Kuni Tomonari saku.

Shirasaya with attestation by Hon'ami Koson, dated Showa 24 (1949).

Higo style Uchigatana koshirae comprising: a plain saya by Hiroi Shinichi and a black lacquered saya by Shishi Tetsuo (see Hon'ami Koson origami); Ko-Shoami iron tsuba pierced with a wide vertical bar flanked by pierced designs of ivy and tendrils, unsigned; tsuka with black same and wrapped with deerskin and fitted with a black lacquer kashira and hibori shakudo fuchi in Higo style, unsigned; shakudo menuki in the form of katabori dragons; shakudo nanako kozuka and kogai depicting dragons, unsigned; tsunagi attested and signed by Hon'ami Koson and dated Showa 25 (1950)--length of koshirae 99cm.; length of tsuka 22.1cm.; diameter of tsuba 8.6cm.; length of kogai 21cm.; length of kozuka 9.6cm.

Two silk and one silk brocade storage bags.

Accompanied by a tokubetsu kicho token certificate, no. 144654, Showa 43 (1968), issued by the N.B.T.H.K. and an origami by Hon'ami Kochu, Shotoku 4 (1714); a tokubetsu kicho koshirae certificate, no. 107, Showa 43 (1968); a koshu tokubetsu kicho koshirae certificate, no. 14724, Showa 53 (1978), issued by the N.B.T.H.K.; an origami by Hon'ami Koson, Showa 25 (1950); and an Ogura origami, dated (cyclically) Showa 24 (1949) attributing the mitokoromono to Goto Kenjo.
Provenance
John Yumoto, San Francisco, California

Lot Essay

The three greatest names of the Ko-Bizen School in the Late Heian period were Kanehira, Masatsune and Tomonari. Of these three, two are represented in the Compton Collection: this example by Tomonari and a juyo token nagamei Kanehira tachi as lot 244 in Part I.

The Ko-Bizen tradition produced two schools, one founded by Masatsune, the other by Tomonari; the Tomonari branch, several pf whom called themselves Tomonari, was active from Eien (987-988) to Katei (1235-1237).

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