An Edo Katana

This is a fine standard work by Kotetsu. The smith was originally an armour maker of Fukui in Echizen Province, who took to sword-making in the 1650s, at the age of fifty. He went to Edo, sometime entering the priesthood, and used the expression nyudo [Entered the Way]. He is believed to have been taught by Izumi no kami Kaneshige, whose work, like that of Kotetsu, sometimes bears the gold inlaid cutting test inscriptions of the Yamano family.
This style of signature, known as 'hako tora', dates from 1664. Other characteristics of the signature, such as the first stroke of the character nyu, rather straight and levelling out at the end in the style of his older signature, indicate that this is an early work dating from soon after 1664. The hamon is also un-contrived, in contrast to his later regular juzuba [rosary beads] hamon. The jigane is a very close bright itame with areas of larger grain near the base of the blade, characteristic of Kotetsu's work, and known as tekogane [literally 'lever metal'] implying the part of the billet of steel held in the hand during the forging process. He died in 1678, in his seventies.

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