A MOUNTED BIZEN NAGINATA

MUROMACHI PEIROD (DATED 1501), SIGNED BIZEN [NO] KUNI JU OSAFUNE SUKESADA SAKU KORE AND DATED BUNKI GANNEN HACHIGATSU HI (A DAY IN THE EIGHTH MONTH OF 1501)

细节

A MOUNTED BIZEN NAGINATA
Muromachi peirod (dated 1501), SIGNED BIZEN [NO] KUNI JU OSAFUNE SUKESADA SAKU KORE AND DATED BUNKI GANNEN HACHIGATSU HI (A DAY IN THE EIGHTH MONTH OF 1501)
Sugata [configuration]: Naginata-zukuri, sakizori with swelling at the mono-uchi
Kitae [forging pattern]: Itame with jinie
Hamon [tempering pattern]: Gunome midare with ashi, sunagashi, yubashiri with tobiyaki, kinsuji in copious nie
Boshi [tip]: Ko-maru on the ura, and Jizo style on the omote
Nakago [tang]: Suriage yet of length 42cm, two mekugi-ana, katte sagari file marks, kiri-jiri
Habaki [collar]: Double gold-clad copper
Nagasa [length of blade]: 60.6cm
Horimono [carving]: Naginata-hi
Koshirae [mounting]: Naginata mounting with black-lacquered ribbed shaft, metal fittings of shakudo nanako with chrysanthemum and paulownia mon in high relief with gold inlay, gold fuchi, iron ishizuki, the scabbard wrapped in bear fur

The blade accompanied by a certificate of registration as a Tokubetsu hozon token (Sword especially worthy of preservation) no. 143307 issued by the Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai (Society for the Preservation of the Japanese Art Sword), dated 1998.6.17

The mounting accompanied by a certificate of registration as a Hozon tosogu (Sword fittings worthy of preservation) no. 445496 issued by the Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai (Society for the Preservation of the Japanese Art Sword), dated 2003.12.18

荣誉呈献

Emma Winder

ewinder@christies.com 212-636-2167

拍品专文

Among several dozen smiths signing Sukesada during the Muromachi period, this smith has been identified as Hikobei no Jo Sukesada, the father of Yosozaemon Sukesada, together among the greatest of the Sue-Bizen school, and active around the end of the fifteenth century and beginning of the sixteenth century. The great length of the blade follows that of naginata of the Kamakura and Nanbokucho periods, and the swelling at the mono-uchi reflects the changing shape in cutting weapons owing to the trend to combat on foot during the Sengoku jidai (Age of the country at war).