REGISTERED AS A JUYO BIJUTSUHIN [IMPORTANT ART OBJECT] SIGNED KUNIYOSHI, KAMAKURA PERIOD (13TH CENTURY)

Details

A Yamashiro Ken
Registered as a Juyo Bijutsuhin [Important Art Object]
Signed Kuniyoshi, Kamakura period (13th Century)
Sugata [configuration]: moroha-zukuri [two-edged with central ridge on each side]

Kitae [forging pattern]: ko-mokume [fine burl grain] with jinie [hard metal granules over the surface of the blade]

Hamon [tempering pattern]: ko-midare [with small, frequent irregularities], made up of ko-nie [very small hard metal granules] with uchinoke [short curved flecks] and kinsuji [bright curved threadlike areas]

Horimono [carvings]: a single thin bohi [groove] on each side of the shinogi [ridge]

Nakago [tang]: ubu [unaltered], one mekugi-ana [hole for retaining peg], signed Kuniyoshi

Fitted with a single gold habaki [collar]

Shirasaya [plain wood scabbard]

Nagasa [length from tip to beginning of tang]: 8 9/16in. (21.8cm.)
Motohaba [width at start of tempered edge]: 3/4in. (2cm.)

Literature

Honma Junji and Hiroi Yuichi, Nihonto juyo bijutsuhin zenshu [A complete collection of Japanese swords registered as Important Art Objects] vol. 1 (Tokyo, 1985), cat. no. 31 (p.84)

Exhibited

Token Hakubutsukan [Sword Museum], Tokyo, Shinshun meito-ten, 5 January-26 February 1989, no. 4

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Further details

Prospective buyers of this Lot should be aware that as an 'Important Art Object' this Lot cannot, as matters presently stand, leave Japan. Successful buyers are themselves responsible for registering their acquisition of the Lot with the Cultural Agency of the Ministry of Education of the Japanese Government within 14 days of the date of the sale. This Lot is subject to Japanese consumption tax at 5 on the hammer price and is zero-rated for United Kingdom VAT.

Lot Essay

With original certificate of registration as a Juyo bijutsuhin [Important Art Object] dated 27 September 1940

The son of Norikuni, Kuniyoshi's dated blades belong to the Koan era (1278-87) even though he is mentioned in written sources some twenty years earlier, an anomaly which has yet to be fully elucidated. His extant works include tachi, tanto and ken (as here), but this example represents something of a departure from his most typical forging pattern of itame [wood grain] with chikei [short lines of nie]. The basically straight temper line with only small irregularities is typical of his work.

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