{"product_id":"antique-japanese-katana-vermilion-lacquer-saya-sparrow-fuchi-kashira","title":"Antique Japanese Katana Sword with Vermilion Lacquer Saya, Sparrow Fuchi-Kashira and Gilt Menuki","description":"\u003c!-- Katana 98 - mumei suriage - no shinsa paper - torokusho Tokyo 135604 - 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\u003eMumei\u003c\/em\u003e, unsigned\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNakago:\u003c\/strong\u003e Unshortened, tapering naturally to a crisply cut \u003cem\u003ekengyo\u003c\/em\u003e point, deep brown-black patina\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSwordsmith:\u003c\/strong\u003e Unknown. The blade carries no shinsa paper\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSchool \/ Tradition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Not attributed\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePeriod:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eEarly Edo\u003c\/strong\u003e, seventeenth century. The proportions are those of \u003cem\u003eKanbun shinto\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eRegistration:\u003c\/strong\u003e Japanese \u003cem\u003etorokusho\u003c\/em\u003e Tokyo no. 135604, issued 15 June 1967\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCertificate:\u003c\/strong\u003e None. The blade has never been submitted to shinsa\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMounting:\u003c\/strong\u003e Complete \u003cem\u003ekatana koshirae\u003c\/em\u003e with vermilion lacquer \u003cem\u003esaya\u003c\/em\u003e, iron openwork \u003cem\u003etsuba\u003c\/em\u003e, sparrow \u003cem\u003efuchi-kashira\u003c\/em\u003e and gilt \u003cem\u003emenuki\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBlade Length (Nagasa):\u003c\/strong\u003e 63.3 cm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCurvature (Sori):\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.2 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, \u003cem\u003eiori-mune\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003echu-kissaki\u003c\/em\u003e, shallow curvature\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eJihada:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eItame\u003c\/em\u003e mixed with \u003cem\u003emokume\u003c\/em\u003e, tightly forged\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHamon:\u003c\/strong\u003e Shallow \u003cem\u003enotare\u003c\/em\u003e carrying \u003cem\u003eko-gunome\u003c\/em\u003e, settling at intervals into a wavering \u003cem\u003esuguha\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003enioi-deki\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBoshi:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eSugu\u003c\/em\u003e to shallow \u003cem\u003emidare-komi\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eko-maru\u003c\/em\u003e turnback, healthy with width remaining\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHabaki:\u003c\/strong\u003e Single-piece copper, filed in two zones\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePolish:\u003c\/strong\u003e Older polish, now tired\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003csection id=\"description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is an unsigned \u003cem\u003ekatana\u003c\/em\u003e of \u003cstrong\u003e63.3 cm\u003c\/strong\u003e with \u003cstrong\u003e1.2 cm\u003c\/strong\u003e of \u003cem\u003esori\u003c\/em\u003e, registered in Japan under \u003cem\u003etorokusho\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eTokyo no. 135604\u003c\/strong\u003e of \u003cstrong\u003e15 June 1967\u003c\/strong\u003e and dated to the \u003cstrong\u003eearly Edo period\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThose two measurements are the whole story. A blade of barely sixty-three centimetres carrying almost no curve is the signature proportion of \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eKanbun shinto\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e, the style that dominated Japanese sword-making between roughly 1660 and 1680, and it is a shape that exists because of peace rather than war. Two generations after Sekigahara there were no more battlefields. A samurai still wore two swords every day of his life, but he wore them through the streets of a castle town, and if he ever drew one it would be indoors: in a corridor, in a room floored with tatami, at conversational distance. Long, deeply curved blades made for cutting from horseback were useless in that world. What replaced them was this: short, nearly straight, thick through the spine, and faster out of the scabbard than anything that came before.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cem\u003enakago\u003c\/em\u003e confirms the dating. It has not been shortened. It tapers naturally and finishes in a cleanly cut \u003cem\u003ekengyo\u003c\/em\u003e point, carries \u003cstrong\u003etwo \u003cem\u003emekugi-ana\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e from being remounted during its working life, and wears a deep, even brown-black patina. The blade is \u003cem\u003emumei\u003c\/em\u003e, has never been through shinsa and carries no NBTHK paper, so no smith or school is attributed to it. The polish it wears is an old one that has gone cloudy, and in that state the \u003cem\u003ejihada\u003c\/em\u003e is muted and the finer activity inside the \u003cem\u003ehamon\u003c\/em\u003e cannot be read.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe sword is \u003cem\u003eshinogi-zukuri\u003c\/em\u003e with an \u003cem\u003eiori-mune\u003c\/em\u003e and a compact \u003cem\u003echu-kissaki\u003c\/em\u003e. The temper is a quiet, shallow \u003cem\u003enotare\u003c\/em\u003e carrying \u003cem\u003eko-gunome\u003c\/em\u003e, narrow to medium in width, settling at intervals into something close to a wavering \u003cem\u003esuguha\u003c\/em\u003e. It reads as \u003cem\u003enioi-deki\u003c\/em\u003e. The \u003cem\u003eboshi\u003c\/em\u003e runs straight into the point and turns back in a neat \u003cem\u003eko-maru\u003c\/em\u003e, with a good width of hardened steel still there. That matters more than it sounds: a dead \u003cem\u003eboshi\u003c\/em\u003e ends a sword's life, and this one is alive. There is no \u003cem\u003ehagire\u003c\/em\u003e, no \u003cem\u003efukure\u003c\/em\u003e and no \u003cem\u003eware\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSent to a first-rate \u003cem\u003etogishi\u003c\/em\u003e for a foundation polish, the blade would show its grain and its activity for the first time in a very long while, and could then go to the NBTHK on its own merits. The \u003cem\u003eboshi\u003c\/em\u003e and the geometry are sound enough to make that worth doing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003csection id=\"koshirae\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe mounting is the immediate pleasure of this sword. The \u003cem\u003esaya\u003c\/em\u003e is lacquered in \u003cstrong\u003evermilion\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cem\u003eshu-urushi\u003c\/em\u003e, a colour worn by men who were not trying to go unnoticed, set against a \u003cem\u003etsuka\u003c\/em\u003e wrapped in \u003cstrong\u003edeep blue silk\u003c\/strong\u003e over white \u003cem\u003esamegawa\u003c\/em\u003e. The \u003cem\u003eoyatsubu\u003c\/em\u003e, the large central node of the rayskin and the most prized part of the hide, sits proud on one face of the handle. The wrap is \u003cem\u003etsumami-maki\u003c\/em\u003e, the pinched style, and the \u003cem\u003esageo\u003c\/em\u003e is a thick woven cord in brown, black and blue that looks every bit as old as the mounting it belongs to.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cem\u003etsuba\u003c\/em\u003e is iron, \u003cem\u003emaru-gata\u003c\/em\u003e, worked in \u003cem\u003eji-sukashi\u003c\/em\u003e with a bold abstract silhouette that reads as stylised antlers or \u003cem\u003emyoga\u003c\/em\u003e shoots, with a \u003cem\u003ekaku-mimi koniku\u003c\/em\u003e rim and copper \u003cem\u003esekigane\u003c\/em\u003e still in place at both ends of the \u003cem\u003enakago-ana\u003c\/em\u003e. It is unsigned. The \u003cem\u003efuchi\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003ekashira\u003c\/em\u003e are a matching set and the finest thing in the mounting: \u003cstrong\u003esparrows in flight among bamboo\u003c\/strong\u003e, carved in \u003cem\u003etakabori\u003c\/em\u003e with gold accents over a \u003cem\u003enanako\u003c\/em\u003e ground. The \u003cem\u003emenuki\u003c\/em\u003e are gilt copper, coiled beasts set under the wrap. The \u003cem\u003ekojiri\u003c\/em\u003e is brass, deeply cut with \u003cem\u003ekarakusa\u003c\/em\u003e scrolling vine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition of the saya:\u003c\/strong\u003e the vermilion \u003cem\u003esaya\u003c\/em\u003e is split. There are deep cracks running lengthwise along the wood, several areas of lacquer loss and chipping, and the horn \u003cem\u003ekoiguchi\u003c\/em\u003e is worn and lifting from the core. It is stable enough to hold the blade for display, but \u003cstrong\u003eit needs the attention of a \u003cem\u003esayashi\u003c\/em\u003e before the sword is carried or drawn\u003c\/strong\u003e. The \u003cem\u003eseppa\u003c\/em\u003e are a mismatched pair, one with a coined edge and one plain, which is entirely normal on a sword that saw real use.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003csection id=\"smith-background\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe blade is unsigned, so there is no smith to name. What can be said is which generation of smiths it belongs to, and that is a more interesting question than it first appears.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe swords of the Kanbun era were made by men whose fathers and grandfathers had forged for war and who themselves would never see one. The Tokugawa peace had held for half a century. Armour was ceremonial, the great campaigns were stories told by old men, and the sword had quietly changed from a weapon of the battlefield into something between a sidearm, a badge of rank and a piece of daily dress. Smiths responded by building exactly what their customers now needed: a short, stiff, fast blade with almost no curve, balanced to be drawn in one movement in a confined space.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey also worked quietly. The flamboyant tempers of the previous century gave way to restrained \u003cem\u003esuguha\u003c\/em\u003e and shallow \u003cem\u003enotare\u003c\/em\u003e of the kind on this blade, because a sword worn as dress in a city at peace was not competing to be seen. That restraint is the reason so many sound Kanbun-era blades are unsigned and unpapered today: they were made in numbers, by competent men, for customers who wanted a good sword rather than a famous one.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe NBTHK examines unsigned blades every year and issues attributions on workmanship alone, and a great many papered \u003cem\u003emumei\u003c\/em\u003e swords began exactly where this one stands. What lies between this blade and that process is a foundation polish.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003csection id=\"school-history\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe mounting tells the same story as the blade, from the other direction.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA \u003cstrong\u003evermilion\u003c\/strong\u003e scabbard against \u003cstrong\u003edeep blue silk\u003c\/strong\u003e is not the equipment of a man expecting to fight. It is the taste of the Edo townsman-samurai, for whom the sword at his hip was the most visible thing he owned and was dressed accordingly. Sparrows among bamboo on the \u003cem\u003efuchi-kashira\u003c\/em\u003e belongs to the same world: a seasonal, domestic, faintly literary motif, the kind of subject that appears on lacquer boxes and painted screens, and nothing at all like a warlord's dragon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe iron \u003cem\u003etsuba\u003c\/em\u003e underneath is plainer and older in character than the set it now sits in, which means somebody assembled this mounting from what he had and what he liked. That is how swords were actually put together, and it is why the two \u003cem\u003emekugi-ana\u003c\/em\u003e in the tang matter: this blade was taken apart and redressed at least once in its working life, by an owner who wanted it to look a particular way.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat is offered here is a genuine antique Japanese \u003cem\u003ekatana\u003c\/em\u003e of the early Edo period, with the unmistakable proportions of the Kanbun style, registered with the Japanese authorities in 1967, complete in a period mounting, and with a clear path to a certificate for a buyer willing to fund a polish.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e","brand":"Tokyo Nihonto","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57282561016132,"sku":"KATANA98","price":3200.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0753\/4080\/8516\/files\/Katana98_180K_0044_GenerativeFill3.jpg?v=1789567687","url":"https:\/\/tokyo-nihonto.com\/products\/antique-japanese-katana-vermilion-lacquer-saya-sparrow-fuchi-kashira","provider":"Tokyo Nihonto","version":"1.0","type":"link"}