Lot Essay
A Masao o-katana was sold as lot 370 in Part I of the Compton Collection sale.
Details
A SHINSHINTO EDO YAMAURA YOROI-DOSHI TANTO AFTER A 14TH CENTURY EXAMPLE
EDO PERIOD, DATED ANSEI 5 (1858), SIGNED MINAMOTO MASAO
Configuration (sugata): of thick, flat, wedge section (hira-zukuri) with shallow peaked back (iori-mune); length (nagasa): 9 sun (27.4cm.); curvature (sori): none (muzori).
Forging pattern (jihada): a particularly fine and elegant wood grain (itame) of numerous gradations in size, each layer of metal is clearly delineated.
Tempering pattern (hamon): medium suguba with nie scattered throughout.
Point (boshi): a stubby, large, rounded (o-maru) point with brushed tempering (hakikake) sitting atop and executed in profuse nie.
Tang (nakago). Shape (keitai): wide, ubu and with a thin, dry, brown patina; file marks (yasurime): sloping (sujikai) and kesho-yasuri on the back; end (nakagojiri): rounded (kuri-jiri); holes (mekugi-ana): one; signature (katanamei): Minamoto Masao; inside (ura): motte Chigauchi Santetsu kore o tsukuru (made of mountain sand, i.e. iron sand from Chigauchi); date (jidai): Ansei 5-nen 8-gatsu hi (a day in the 8th month of Ansei 5 [1858].)
Shirasaya with attestation by Sato Kanzan.
Silk storage bag.
Accompanied by a koshu tokubetsu kicho token certificate, no. 5156, Showa 50 (1975), issued by the N.B.T.H.K.
EDO PERIOD, DATED ANSEI 5 (1858), SIGNED MINAMOTO MASAO
Configuration (sugata): of thick, flat, wedge section (hira-zukuri) with shallow peaked back (iori-mune); length (nagasa): 9 sun (27.4cm.); curvature (sori): none (muzori).
Forging pattern (jihada): a particularly fine and elegant wood grain (itame) of numerous gradations in size, each layer of metal is clearly delineated.
Tempering pattern (hamon): medium suguba with nie scattered throughout.
Point (boshi): a stubby, large, rounded (o-maru) point with brushed tempering (hakikake) sitting atop and executed in profuse nie.
Tang (nakago). Shape (keitai): wide, ubu and with a thin, dry, brown patina; file marks (yasurime): sloping (sujikai) and kesho-yasuri on the back; end (nakagojiri): rounded (kuri-jiri); holes (mekugi-ana): one; signature (katanamei): Minamoto Masao; inside (ura): motte Chigauchi Santetsu kore o tsukuru (made of mountain sand, i.e. iron sand from Chigauchi); date (jidai): Ansei 5-nen 8-gatsu hi (a day in the 8th month of Ansei 5 [1858].)
Shirasaya with attestation by Sato Kanzan.
Silk storage bag.
Accompanied by a koshu tokubetsu kicho token certificate, no. 5156, Showa 50 (1975), issued by the N.B.T.H.K.
Provenance
John Yumoto, San Mateo, California