A SHINSHINTO EDO SUISHINSHI KO-WAKIZASHI

Details

A SHINSHINTO EDO SUISHINSHI KO-WAKIZASHI
EDO PERIOD, DATED TEMPO 8 (1837), SIGNED FUJIWARA MASATSUGU WITH KAO

Configuration (sugata): with longitudinal ridge line (shinogi-zukuri), shallow peaked back (iori-mune) and large point (o-kissaki); length (nagasa): 1 shaku, 5 sun, 4 bu (46.7cm.); curvature (sori): torii-zori of 1.2cm.; carving (horimono): inside (ura): Kongara Doji standing on a cloud above waves, outside (omote): Seitaka Doji in a similar posture; both being attendants to Fudo Myo-o.
Forging pattern (jihada): irregular rolling patterns (gonome) with some clove-like and erratic tempering (choji midare) in excellent nioi and nie and with extensive 'swept sands' (sunagashi) and some kinsuji; the choji midare tends to be most evident in the lower half of the hamon and the area from mid-point to the yokote is dominated by the gonome. The general effect is that of a So-den Bizen blade, a characteristic of tempering frequently seen in the earlier works of Masatsugu.
Point (boshi): gonome-komi with extensive nie and finishing in an irregular small point (ko-maru) and with kaeri extending only to the koshinogi.
Tang (nakago). Shape (keitai): wide, slightly tapering and slightly uplifted; file marks (yasurime): kesho-yasuri; holes (mekugi-ana): one; signature (katanamei): Fujiwara Masatsugu with kao; date (jidai): Tempo 8 hinoto-tori nen chushu (mid-autumn of Tenpo 8 [1837], year of the cock).

Shirasaya.

Silk storage bag.

Accompanied by a tokubetsu kicho token certificate, no. 374880, Showa 54 (1979); and a koshu tokubetsu kicho token certificate, no. 19237, Showa 54 (1979), issued by the N.B.T.H.K.

Provenance

Fairclough, London

Lot Essay

On the basis of a blade in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (Bigelow Collection, 11.11300), dated 1836 and inscribed in his 23rd year, it can be ascertained that Masatsugu was born in 1814, making him 24 years old when this blade was made.

A student of Naotane, Masatsugu was the third generation in linear descent from Suishinshi Masahide.

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