Details
A YAMASHIRO WAKIZASHI
NAMBOKUCHO PERIOD (14TH CENTURY), ATTRIBUTED TO YAMASHIRO NOBUKUNI
Configuration (sugata): of flat, wedge section (ohira-zukuri) with shallow peaked back (iori-mune); length (nagasa): 1 shaku, 2 sun, 8.5 bu (38.9 cm.); curvature (sori): slight curve (saki-zori) of 0.5 cm.; carving (horimono): inside (ura): kaki-nagashi katana-hi; outside (omote): futatsuji-bi.
Forging pattern (jihada): a particularly fine and crisply defined compact wood grain (itame) which approaches the configuration of crepe silk (chirimen) in most areas and becomes slowly undulating layers of laminations (masame) towards the hasaki; particularly visible on the ura above the katana-hi, the hada changes to a much finer grain resembling the texture of fine clay and there is wide suguha utsuri on both sides covering the majority of the ji.
Tempering pattern (hamon): 'thread' tempering (ito suguba) in nioi and ko-nie.
Point (boshi): small rounded (ko-maru) with a slight brushed tip (hakikake).
Tang (nakago) shape (keitai): slightly ship's bottom (funagata), bevelled along the lower edge, probably ubu and with a moist, brown patina; file marks (yasurime): sloping (sujikai); end (nakagojiri): rounded (kuri-jiri); holes (mekugi-ana): two; signature (mei): none (mumei). [Condition OK.]
Shirasaya with attestation by Honnami Nisshu; silk storage bag.
Wakizashi koshirae comprising: a brown saya lacquered to represent the bark of a cherry tree and fitted with a shibuichi model of a long-armed monkey reaching up towards the kurikata; the shibuichi kojiri (signed Do---ki) and matching kurikata and koiguchi are deeply molded and carved with branches, leaves and flowers with gold highlights; Goto style shakudo nanako kozuka applied with a shakudo long-armed monkey reaching down from a branch to the silver reflection of the moon below, unsigned, 18th Century; the iron Tanaka mokkogata tsuba is molded with a pine tree and fitted with a shibuichi monkey leaning from it holding a branch of flowering plum over a stream, ryu-hitsu, signed Hoshinsai Toshikage and (on the reverse) kao. The brown-wrapped tsuka is set with a pair of shakudo, gold and silver menuki in the form of mounted nobles on horseback and fitted with a pair of shibuichi fuchi-kashira matching the other mounts, decorated with a gold ho-o in a tree, signed Shiunsai Masayuki and kao and dated Meiji 4 (1871).---length of koshirae 61.5 cm., length of tsuka 15.1 cm., length of kozuka 9.5 cm.; height oif tsuba 6.8 cm. [Some small repairs to saya.]
Silk storage bag.
