A Bishu Katana

UNSIGNED, AOE SCHOOL, NANBOKUCHO PERIOD (14TH CENTURY)

Details

A Bishu Katana
Unsigned, Aoe school, Nanbokucho period (14th century)
Sugata [configuration]: honzukuri, iori-mune, o-kissaki, koshizori
Kitae [forging pattern]: tight itame with jinie and some mokume
Hamon [tempering pattern]: gunome of nie with ashi on ura, kataochi gunome and suguha on omote
Boshi [tip]: ko-maru with hakikake
Horimono [carvings]: bohi both sides
Nakago [tang]: o-suriage, 2 holes
Habaki [collar]: double, gold
Nagasa [length from tip to beginning of tang]: 75.8 cm.
Sori [curvature]: 2 cm.
Motohaba [width at start of tempered edge]: 3.3 cm.
Sakihaba [width before tip]: 2.4 cm.

Lot Essay

The suguha with saka-ashi, the rather pointed boshi, and the violent strip of utsuri on this fine and robust blade indicate the Aoe school of Bitchu Province of the Nanbokucho period, although much work of the school exhibits a more obvious bo utsuri. The breadth of the blade and extended kissaki are typical of cut-down tachi of the period, and the extent of koshi-zori remaining on this blade suggest that it had originally been not more than twenty centimetres or so longer.

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