REGISTERED AS A JUYO BIJUTSUHIN [IMPORTANT ART OBJECT] SIGNED DEWA NO DAIJO FUJIWARA NO KUNIMICHI, EDO PERIOD (17TH CENTURY)

Details

A Shinto Katana
Registered as a Juyo Bijutsuhin [Important Art Object]
Signed Dewa no Daijo Fujiwara no Kunimichi, Edo Period (17th Century)
Sugata [configuration]: shinogi-zukuri [longitudinal ridge], chu-kissaki [medium- length point], iori-mune [shallow peaked back]

Kitae [forging pattern]: itame [wood grain] and masame [straight grain]

Hamon [tempering pattern]: deep notare [undulating line], gunome [small pointed curves] and togariba of ko-nie [very small hard metal granules] with sunagashi [thick lines of nie]
Boshi [tip]: notarekomi [undulating temper line continued into the tip]

Nakago [tang]: ubu [unaltered], sujikai-yasurime [diagonal file marks descending to the right], kuri-jiri [rounded heel], one mekugi-ana [hole for retaining peg], signed Dewa no Daijo Fujiwara no Kunimichi [Fujiwara no Kunimichi, Lord of Dewa (Province)]

Fitted with a two-tier silver and gold habaki [collar] with plum-blossom designs

Shirasaya [plain wood scabbard]

Nagasa [length from tip to beginning of tang]: 27¼in. (69.8cm.)
Sori [curvature]: 9/16in. (1.5cm.)

Motohaba [width at start of tempered edge]: 1½in. (3.8cm.)

Sakihaba [width before tip]: 1in. (2.5cm.)

With an additional shirasaya [plain wood scabbard] inscribed by Sato Kanzan in Showa 45 (1970)

Literature

Honma Junji and Hiroi Yuichi, Nihonto juyo bijutsuhin zenshu [A complete collection of Japanese swords registered as Important Art Objects] vol. 7 (Tokyo, 1985), cat. no. 904 (p. 68)

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.

Sale room notice

Please note the motohaba measures 2.9cm and the sakihaba 2cm, and not as stated in the catalogue.

Lot Essay

With original notice of registration as a Juyo bijutsuhin [Important Art Object] dated 27 April 1948

Kunimichi was a member of the Horikawa school, based in Yamashiro Province. He used the character do for the second character of his name up to the Genna era (1615) and started using the ro character (as here) after the start of the Kan'ei era (1624).

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