AN ECHIZEN SHIMOSAKA KATANA

Details

AN ECHIZEN SHIMOSAKA KATANA
EDO PERIOD (CIRCA 1660), SIGNED (AOI-MON) YASUTSUGU (NI) OITE ECHIZEN KORE(O) SAKU (SHIROZAEMON YASUTSUGU III)

Configuration (sugata): with longitudinal ridge line (shinogi-zukuri), shallow peaked back (iori-mune) and medium point (chu-kissaki); length (nagasa): 2 shaku, 3 sun, 4 bu (70.9cm.); curvature (sori): very shallow koshi-zori of 0.7cm.; increase in width of blade (fumbari): 1.1cm.
Forging pattern (jihada): very tightly packed and finely-grained small burl (ko-mokume).
Tempering pattern (hamon): medium width suguba of rather fine erratic komidare with an attractive scattering of 'legs' (ashi), the hamon blurry along the ha-buchi (that area common to both the yakiba and the ji) in the upper half and quite distinct in the lower half.
Point (boshi): medium brushed tip (hakikake) with medium kaeri.
Tang (nakago). Shape (keitai): quite long, slender, tapering and with a medium dry, brown patina; file marks (yasurime): sloping (sujikai); holes (mekugi-ana): two; signature (katanamei): (Aoi-mon) Yasutsugu (ni) oite Echizen kore(o) saku.

Shirasaya.

Silk storage bag. Wooden storage box with special gold paper lining and attested on the inside cover as having been a Tokugawa family treasure.
Accompanied by a tokubetsu kicho token certificate, no. 55503, Showa 36 (1961), issued by the N.B.T.H.K.

Provenance

Colonel Lillard P. Miller, San Antonio, Texas

Lot Essay

Shirozaemon Yasutsugu III, also known as Echizen Yasutsugu III, was the younger brother of Yasutsugu II, as distinguished from Ichinojo Yasutsugu, the son of Yasutsugu II.

In about 1645, after several decades in which Yasutsugu I and II worked alternate years in Edo and Echizen, the Yasutsugu school split into the Edo Yasutsugu and Echizen Yasutsugu lines which continued working until about 1870.

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