{"product_id":"katana105","title":"Antique Japanese Katana Sword attributed to Sagami no Kami Yasuyuki with Suguha Hamon, Wave Fuchi-Kashira and Blue-Ground Iron Tsuba — Edo Shintō","description":"\u003c!-- KATANA105 — Tokyo Nihonto --\u003e\n\u003csection class=\"product\"\u003e\u003cheader\u003e\u003c\/header\u003e\n\u003csection id=\"specs\"\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSignature (Mei):\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eŌ-suriage mumei\u003c\/em\u003e (shortened, unsigned), attributed to \u003cspan lang=\"ja\"\u003e相模守泰幸 二代\u003c\/span\u003e Sagami no Kami Yasuyuki, second generation, by Tokunō Kazuo\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSwordsmith:\u003c\/strong\u003e Sagami no Kami Fujiwara Yasuyuki \u003cspan lang=\"ja\"\u003e相模守藤原泰幸\u003c\/span\u003e, 2nd generation (private attribution)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSchool \/ Tradition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Owari Seki \u003cspan lang=\"ja\"\u003e尾張関\u003c\/span\u003e, Mino tradition\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePeriod \/ Province:\u003c\/strong\u003e Edo period, \u003cem\u003eshinto\u003c\/em\u003e, around the Kanbun era (1661–1673), Owari Province (Nagoya)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCertificate:\u003c\/strong\u003e Private appraisal certificate (\u003cem\u003ekanteisho\u003c\/em\u003e) no. 9512006 by Tokunō Kazuo \u003cspan lang=\"ja\"\u003e得能一男\u003c\/span\u003e, dated 22 December 1995.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eJapanese Registration (Tōroku-shō):\u003c\/strong\u003e Saitama no. 67016, issued 22 November 1995\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMounting:\u003c\/strong\u003e Complete \u003cem\u003ekatana koshirae\u003c\/em\u003e, black \u003cem\u003eroiro\u003c\/em\u003e saya, iron tsuba with blue enamel ground, iron wave \u003cem\u003efuchi-kashira\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBlade Length (Nagasa):\u003c\/strong\u003e 68.0 cm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCurvature (Sori):\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.5 cm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMekugi-ana:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eShape (Sugata):\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eShinogi-zukuri\u003c\/em\u003e, low \u003cem\u003eiori-mune\u003c\/em\u003e, wide \u003cem\u003eshinogi-ji\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003echū-kissaki\u003c\/em\u003e, very shallow curvature\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eJihada:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eItame\u003c\/em\u003e mixed with \u003cem\u003eko-itame\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003emasame\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eji-nie\u003c\/em\u003e, the grain flowing towards the edge\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHamon:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eSuguha\u003c\/em\u003e in \u003cem\u003enioi-deki\u003c\/em\u003e with \u003cem\u003eko-nie\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBōshi:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eSugu\u003c\/em\u003e with a \u003cem\u003eko-maru\u003c\/em\u003e turn-back\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHabaki:\u003c\/strong\u003e Single-piece copper with diagonal \u003cem\u003eyasurime\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003csection id=\"description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA full-length Edo-period katana of \u003cstrong\u003e68.0 cm\u003c\/strong\u003e, attributed to \u003cstrong\u003eSagami no Kami Yasuyuki\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cspan lang=\"ja\"\u003e相模守泰幸\u003c\/span\u003e, second generation, of Owari, by the sword scholar \u003cstrong\u003eTokunō Kazuo\u003c\/strong\u003e in a private appraisal certificate dated 1995. The blade is registered in Japan and comes complete in its koshirae.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe shape is a \u003cem\u003eshinogi-zukuri\u003c\/em\u003e katana with a low \u003cem\u003eiori-mune\u003c\/em\u003e, a wide \u003cem\u003eshinogi-ji\u003c\/em\u003e and a \u003cem\u003echū-kissaki\u003c\/em\u003e. Its most striking feature is the curvature: only \u003cstrong\u003e0.5 cm\u003c\/strong\u003e over 68 cm, an almost straight sword. That is the signature silhouette of the \u003cstrong\u003eKanbun era\u003c\/strong\u003e (1661–1673), when swordsmanship schools favoured straight, practical blades for fencing on foot, and the appraisal dates the blade to exactly that period.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe hamon is a calm, disciplined \u003cem\u003esuguha\u003c\/em\u003e in \u003cem\u003enioi-deki\u003c\/em\u003e with a scattering of \u003cem\u003eko-nie\u003c\/em\u003e, running evenly the full length of the blade and into the point, where it turns back in a \u003cem\u003eko-maru\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe steel is an \u003cem\u003eitame\u003c\/em\u003e mixed with \u003cem\u003eko-itame\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003emasame\u003c\/em\u003e, with \u003cem\u003eji-nie\u003c\/em\u003e, and a grain that flows towards the edge, all recorded in the appraisal. Tokunō's closing assessment reads \"healthy and powerful, work typical of Owari\". The blade has been shortened, and the tang carries two \u003cem\u003emekugi-ana\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003csection id=\"koshirae\"\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eKoshirae Details\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cem\u003etsuba\u003c\/em\u003e is the talking point of this mount. It is a round iron plate treated completely differently on each face: one side plain iron with fine vertical filing, the other covered with a deep blue ground on which a symmetrical design of hanging ornaments stands out in iron silhouette, picked out with small gold details. Coloured grounds of this kind are unusual on iron guards and make it the most distinctive piece of the koshirae.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cem\u003efuchi\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003ekashira\u003c\/em\u003e are a matching iron pair, carved with crashing waves and scattered with small silver dots like spray. The waves suit the sword well: in Japanese art they stand for strength and endless motion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cem\u003etsuka\u003c\/em\u003e is wrapped in blue-green silk \u003cem\u003ehineri-maki\u003c\/em\u003e over white \u003cem\u003esame\u003c\/em\u003e. The wrap is old and shows real wear and fraying: this is a mount that was carried and handled, not kept in a cabinet. The \u003cem\u003esaya\u003c\/em\u003e is black \u003cem\u003eroiro\u003c\/em\u003e lacquer with black horn fittings and an olive-green \u003cem\u003esageo\u003c\/em\u003e; it shows scuffs and a patch of lacquer loss near the \u003cem\u003ekurigata\u003c\/em\u003e. The \u003cem\u003ehabaki\u003c\/em\u003e is single-piece copper filed with diagonal \u003cem\u003eyasurime\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003csection id=\"smith-background\"\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Swordsmith: Sagami no Kami Yasuyuki \u003cspan lang=\"ja\"\u003e相模守泰幸\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Yasuyuki line was founded by \u003cstrong\u003eNoto no Kami Yasuyuki\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cspan lang=\"ja\"\u003e能登守泰幸\u003c\/span\u003e, a smith from Mino who moved to Owari around 1610, as Nagoya Castle and its town were being built, and received the court title Noto no Kami. Signed work by him survives from the Kan'ei era, including blades dated 1637.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHis son, known by the given name Shinbei, received the title \u003cstrong\u003eSagami no Kami\u003c\/strong\u003e and worked alongside his father in the Nagashima district of the Nagoya castle town. Japanese sources distinguish the two by their tangs: the second generation cut his signature and file marks more deeply, and shaped the tang tip to a point rather than the rounded chestnut form of his father.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis blade is shortened and unsigned, so the attribution rests on the workmanship. It comes from a private appraisal by \u003cstrong\u003eTokunō Kazuo\u003c\/strong\u003e (1933–2002), author of the reference works \u003cem\u003eNihontō Zukan\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eTōkō Taikan\u003c\/em\u003e and founder of a sword research society in 1972. A private appraisal is an expert opinion, not an NBTHK certificate, and we present it as exactly that.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003csection id=\"school-history\"\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eOwari Seki: Mino Smiths in Nagoya\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen the Tokugawa built Nagoya Castle for the Owari branch of the family in the early 1600s, many smiths from neighbouring Mino, home of the great Seki tradition, moved into the new castle town. Their work is known as \u003cstrong\u003eOwari Seki\u003c\/strong\u003e. Four names head the group: Masatsune, Ujifusa, Nobutaka and Yasuyuki. Serving one of the three senior Tokugawa houses, they produced robust, well-made blades with tight steel and clean straight or gently undulating tempers, a style distinct from the Mino work they came from.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat is offered here is an Edo-period katana of 68.0 cm attributed to Sagami no Kami Yasuyuki, second generation, of the Owari Seki school, by Tokunō Kazuo, registered in Japan, complete in a period koshirae with an unusual blue-ground iron tsuba and matching iron wave fuchi-kashira.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e","brand":"Tokyo Nihonto","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57332471628100,"sku":"KATANA105","price":3400.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0753\/4080\/8516\/files\/Katana105_280K_0037_GenerativeFill3.jpg?v=1790415428","url":"https:\/\/tokyo-nihonto.com\/fr\/products\/katana105","provider":"Tokyo Nihonto","version":"1.0","type":"link"}