SIGNED KANENORI, MUROMACHI PERIOD (15TH CENTURY)

Details

A Mino Tanto
Signed Kanenori, Muromachi Period (15th Century)
Sugata [configuration]: hirazukuri iroi-mune with slight sakizori curve
Kitae [forging pattern]: flowing itame with shirake utsuri
Hamon [tempering pattern]: tight gunome with togariba of nioi with konie
Boshi [tip]: jizo-boshi with separate formations within the ha
Horimono [carvings]: bohi both sides of the blade
Nakago [tang]: ubu, possibly slightly machi-okuri, with shallow ha-agari kurijiri tip, two holes, and takanoha file marks
Koshirae [set of mounts]: scabbard lacquered in black horizontal bands alternating with bands of aogai nashiji, fuchi-kashira of pine branches under a silver moon below geometric strata of stylized clouds carved in high relief of shakudo with details in gold inlay, the menuki in copper-gilt, shakudo tsuba or similar copper and noble metal alloy, pawlonia mon in gold arrayed around the circumference one above the other, shiiremono copper kozuka with shakudo nanako plate with symbols of Horaizan, crane, turtle, and shochikubai beneath the sun in high relief copper, silver, and gold inlay
Habaki [collar]: single, gold-clad
Nagasa [length from tip to beginning of tang]: 28.6cm.
Sori [curvature]: 0.3cm.

Special notice

VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price plus buyer's premium.

Lot Essay

Accompanied by a Hozon Token [Sword Worthy of Preserving] certificate no.366139, issued by the Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai [Society for the Preservation of the Japanese Art Sword] on 19 December 2003.

The blade is in perfect and classical Muromachi period Mino Province tradition, the vivid gunome hamon and particularly the Jizo boshi (a rounded shape named after the shaven priest's head of the Bodhisattva Jizo (sans. Ksitigharba) form. The fine quality mounting attests to the importance of the blade, and the tsuba with laterally-arrayed mon is indicative of early to middle Edo period work.

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