{"product_id":"antique-japanese-katana-sword-with-floral-iron-sukashi-tsuba-edo-period-mumei-blade","title":"Antique Japanese Katana Sword with Floral Iron Sukashi Tsuba, Edo Period Mumei Blade","description":"\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 Mumei (無銘) - unsigned\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eType:\u003c\/strong\u003e Katana\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePeriod:\u003c\/strong\u003e Edo Period (Shintō)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMounting:\u003c\/strong\u003e Black urushi koshirae with iron sukashi tsuba and black leather-wrapped tsuka\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBlade Length (Nagasa):\u003c\/strong\u003e approx. 69 cm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCurvature (Sori):\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.4 cm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMekugi-ana:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eShape:\u003c\/strong\u003e Shinogi-zukuri with iori-mune and chū-kissaki\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eJihada:\u003c\/strong\u003e Tight, bright ko-itame\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHamon:\u003c\/strong\u003e Suguha-chō with gentle notare, nioiguchi with ko-nie\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBoshi:\u003c\/strong\u003e Ko-maru\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003csection id=\"description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis \u003cstrong\u003eKatana\u003c\/strong\u003e is a \u003cstrong\u003emumei\u003c\/strong\u003e (unsigned) blade of the \u003cstrong\u003eEdo period\u003c\/strong\u003e, presented on its own merits—an honest antique Japanese sword, registered in Japan and offered for what the steel itself shows rather than for a name on the tang.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe sugata is a clean \u003cem\u003eshinogi-zukuri\u003c\/em\u003e with \u003cem\u003eiori-mune\u003c\/em\u003e, a balanced \u003cstrong\u003echū-kissaki\u003c\/strong\u003e, and a moderate \u003cstrong\u003e1.4 cm sori\u003c\/strong\u003e—the composed, practical profile of an Edo-period katana made for a samurai to wear and use. In hand the blade is healthy and well-polished, with good substance from machi to point.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cem\u003ejihada\u003c\/em\u003e is a tight, well-packed \u003cstrong\u003eko-itame\u003c\/strong\u003e, bright and cleanly forged, the kind of disciplined grain that reads as quiet quality rather than showmanship. Against it, the \u003cem\u003ehamon\u003c\/em\u003e runs as a calm \u003cstrong\u003esuguha-chō\u003c\/strong\u003e—a straight temper line with a gentle \u003cem\u003enotare\u003c\/em\u003e undulation—set in a soft \u003cem\u003enioiguchi\u003c\/em\u003e with fine \u003cem\u003eko-nie\u003c\/em\u003e. The \u003cem\u003eboshi\u003c\/em\u003e turns back in a tidy \u003cstrong\u003eko-maru\u003c\/strong\u003e. This is a restrained, classical aesthetic: the appeal is in the evenness of the work and the brightness of the steel, not in dramatic activity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA \u003cstrong\u003emumei\u003c\/strong\u003e Edo blade like this is exactly what many collectors are looking for as a first authentic nihonto—a genuine, traditionally-forged Japanese sword in honest condition, without the price premium a signature commands. A buyer who later wants formal papers can submit it to NBTHK \u003cem\u003eshinsa\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 sword comes in a complete and coordinated \u003cstrong\u003eblack koshirae\u003c\/strong\u003e. The \u003cstrong\u003esaya\u003c\/strong\u003e is finished in glossy black \u003cem\u003eurushi\u003c\/em\u003e lacquer—plain and dignified—and dressed with a black \u003cem\u003esageo\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cstrong\u003etsuba\u003c\/strong\u003e is a round \u003cem\u003etetsu\u003c\/em\u003e (iron) plate with a dark patina, cut in \u003cem\u003eji-sukashi\u003c\/em\u003e (openwork): a stylized floral spray with radiating petals above and a leafy foliage sprig below, with two \u003cem\u003ehitsu-ana\u003c\/em\u003e for kozuka and kōgai. The \u003cstrong\u003efuchi\u003c\/strong\u003e is worked in dark soft metal with a delicate floral design—plum and foliage—picked out in \u003cstrong\u003egilt\u003c\/strong\u003e, a refined touch against the sober mounting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cstrong\u003etsuka\u003c\/strong\u003e is wrapped in \u003cstrong\u003eblack leather\u003c\/strong\u003e (\u003cem\u003ekawa\u003c\/em\u003e) over white \u003cem\u003esame\u003c\/em\u003e (rayskin) in the traditional \u003cem\u003ehineri-maki\u003c\/em\u003e diamond pattern, with finely detailed gilt-highlighted dragon \u003cem\u003emenuki\u003c\/em\u003e set beneath the wrap. The leather shows honest age and a little minor wear—the kind of character expected of a sword that has been carried and kept rather than locked away. The \u003cstrong\u003ehabaki\u003c\/strong\u003e is a gilt collar. Altogether the fittings make a quiet, tasteful samurai mounting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003csection id=\"historical-context\"\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eAbout Mumei Edo Katana\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA \u003cstrong\u003emumei\u003c\/strong\u003e (unsigned) blade is not a lesser blade—it is simply one without a signature on the \u003cem\u003enakago\u003c\/em\u003e (tang). Plenty of Edo-period swords left the forge unsigned, and many others lost their signature when shortened over the centuries. What matters is the workmanship: the steel, the temper line, the shape, and the health of the blade. Those are things you can see and hold, and they are the real basis on which a nihonto should be judged.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor a collector, a mumei Edo katana offers a genuine, traditionally-made Japanese sword—forged from tamahagane, hardened with the clay-and-water method that produces the \u003cem\u003ehamon\u003c\/em\u003e—at a more accessible level than a signed, papered piece by a famous name. This example is an honest, attractive representative of that category: a real Edo blade in full mounts, registered in Japan and ready to study, display, or build a collection around.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e","brand":"Tokyo Nihonto","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56861250191684,"sku":"KATANA81","price":2800.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0753\/4080\/8516\/files\/Katana81_160K_0035_GenerativeFill4.jpg?v=1781865815","url":"https:\/\/tokyo-nihonto.com\/it\/products\/antique-japanese-katana-sword-with-floral-iron-sukashi-tsuba-edo-period-mumei-blade","provider":"Tokyo Nihonto","version":"1.0","type":"link"}