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A YAMATO KATANA REGISTERED AS A TOKUBETSU JUYO TOKEN [EXCEPTIONALLY IMPORTANT SWORD]

UNSIGNED, TRADITIONALLY ATTRIBUTED TO A MEMBER OF THE TAIMA LINE OF SMITHS, LATE KAMAKURA PERIOD (14TH CENTURY)

Details

A YAMATO KATANA
REGISTERED AS A TOKUBETSU JUYO TOKEN [EXCEPTIONALLY IMPORTANT SWORD]
Unsigned, Traditionally Attributed to a Member of the Taima Line of Smiths, Late Kamakura Period (14th Century)
Sugata [configuration]: shinogi-zukuri [longitudinal ridge], chu-kissaki [medium point], iori-mune [shallow peaked back]

Kitae [forging pattern]: itame [wood grain] with some elements of mokume [burl grain], with strong jinie [hard metal granules over the surface of the blade]

Hamon [tempering pattern]: a combination of suguha [straight line] with gunome [small pointed curves]and ko-ashi [short lines projecting into the hardened edge], sunagashi [thick lines of nie], nijuba [double edge to the temper line], with strong nie [hard metal granules] and clear nioi [mist-like crystalline areas]

Boshi [tip]: yakizume [with no turnback] with slight hakikake [brushed tip]

Horimono [carvings]: a single bohi [groove] on each side continuing down to the heel

Nakago [tang]: osuriage [substantially shortened] with replacement shallow katte sagari yasurime [diagonal file marks sloping towards the back of the tang], two mekugi-ana [holes for retaining pegs], the heel cut off at right angles

Fitted with a two-tier gilt habaki [collar]

Shirasaya [plain wood scabbard] with attribution to Yamato Taima by Honma Kunzan, dated 1976

Black-lacquered katana koshirae [set of mounts] comprising: black-lacquered saya [scabbard] with aoi-mon [hollyhock crests] of the Tokugawa; tsuka [hilt] covered in sharkskin and wrapped in white silk forming a lozenge pattern; shakudo [copper-gold alloy] chirimen [crinkled ground] kashira [fitting at the end of the hilt and fuchi [hilt collar] worked in relief iroe [soft-metal decoration] with aoi-mon; black-lacquered horn koikuchi [scabbard mouth]; shibuichi [copper-silver alloy] kojiri [scabbard butt] engraved and gilded with aoi- mon; shakudo nanako [granulated ground] tsuba [hand guard] with a gold rim, worked in gold iroe [soft-metal decoration] with scattered aoi-mon, diameter 3 1/16in. (7.8cm.); and shakudo nanako kozuka [knife] and kogai [skewer] similarly worked, with white silk hilt binding, Edo period
Overall length of blade: 35 9/16in. (90cm.)
Nagasa [length from tip to beginning of tang]: 27 5/8in. (70.2cm.)
Sori [curvature]: 11/16in. (1.7cm.)
Motohaba [width at start of tempered edge]: 1¼in. (3.2cm.)
Sakihaba [width before tip]: 7/8in. (2.2cm.) (2)

Exhibited

With certificate of re-registration as a Tokubetsu juyo token [Exceptionally important sword] by the Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai on 23 March 2001, first certificated on 2 April 1973

Special notice

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

Lot Essay

Although the signature on this blade was lost when it was cut down by a later owner, it can be firmly attributed to the Yamato province line of smiths using the name Taima or Toma. Tracing their ancestry to the earlier Kamakura-period smith Kuniyuki (circa 1288-1317), the Taima masters, who continued to be active until the end of the fourteenth century, derived their name from the Taimadera temple with which they maintained a close association. Since Taima blades were commissioned by monks, they were seldom signed. This example may be assigned to the closing years of the Kamakura period on account of the breadth of the blade and the rather long tip.

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