Swords

Yoshindo Yoshihara Tachi

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Tachi signed Yoshihara saku, Heisei 11 nen 8 gatsu (August, 1999)

This lovely shinogi tsukuri tachi, in shirasaya with gold foil habaki, is forged in a flawless tight ko-itame. It has a longish chu kissaki. The shinogi ji is narrow with a bohi running into the ko-shinogi at the top, and halfway down the nakago at the bottom, ending in kakinagashi. It has a deep and balanced torii zori.

Yoshindo Yoshihara is a mukansa smith known for his work in the Bizen tradition. This blade is tempered in a notare-based midare choji with ashi, turning to a ko-midare with ashi in the boshi, with a pointed komaru turnback. It is in its original polish which we judge to be by a member of the Fujishiro school.

Nagasa: 29 inches, 73.6 cm, 2.41 shaku

Nakago: Ubu with ha-agare kuri jiri, katte agari yasurime, 1 mekugi ana

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Shinsakuto Kazuyoshi katana

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A katana by the shinsakuto smith Hizen no Koku Kazuyoshi, in shirasaya, made in the style of the famous shinshinto smith, Minamoto Kiyomaro.

Nagasa: 75 cm (29.5")

Motohaba: 36 mm Sakihaba: 31 mm

Motokasane: 8 mm Sakikasane: 6.5 mm

Nakago: Ubu, Kuri jiri, sujikai yasurime, one mekugi ana,

Katana mei: Hizen (no) kuni ju Kazuyoshi Utsushi Kiyomaro (Kazuyoshi, residing in Hizen province, made this in the style of Kiyomaro

Katana ura mei: Hinoe inu nen ju ichi gatsu hi (a day in the 11th month of the year of the dog: November 2006)

Hizen no Kuni Ju Kazuyoshi 肥前国住一吉, whose given name is Nakao Kazuyoshi 中尾一吉, was born in 1939 and lives in Saga prefecture. He learned sword forging under his swordsmith father, Tadatsugu 忠次, who was a disciple of Toshihide Horii 堀井俊秀, and has won 2 excellent awords, 2 Shorei prizes and 4 Doryoku prizes in Shinsakuto exhibitions. His sincere pursuit of reviving the Kamakurta Ichimonji, Minamoto no Kiyomaro, and Hizen no Kuni Tadayoshi styles has thus gained him a high profile as a distinguished swordsmith.
This blade, as the mei indicates, is clearly forged in the tradition of, and as an homage to, the famous shinshinto smith Minamoto no Kiyomaro. The hamon is a vivid nioi deki gunome midare with ashi at the valleys and sprays of nie at the peaks. There is sunagashi and long, runningkinsuji under the hamon, which can clearly be seen in the photo. The kitae is a tightly forged ko-itame. The hamon continues into the majestic O-kissaki and ends in komaru with a short turnback. The sugata is very much in the style of the grand osuriage Nambokucho blades. It is in a lovely shirasaya finished with narrow bands of lighter wood at the ends and the koiguchi. The one piece habaki is a handsome and suitably massive chunk of solid silver.

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Shinshinto katana by Tegara Yama Kai no Kami Masashige

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An excellent shinshinto katana in koshirae by Tegara Yama Kai no Kami Masashige, dated 1804.

NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers.

Nagasa 69.5 cm, 27.375 inches

Sori 1.1 cm

Motohaba 28.5 mm Sakihaba 19.5 mm

Motokasane 6.2 mm Sakikasane 4.6 mm

Sashi Omote: Tegara Yama Kai (no) Kami Masashige

Sashi Ura: Kyowa san nen hachi gatsu hi A day in the 8th lunar month of the 3rd year of Kyowa (1804)

This slim, graceful blade by the well known shinshinto smith, Masashige, is an ubu shinogi tsukuri katana with shallow torii zori, chu kissaki, a slightly raised shinogi, and a medium shinogi ji and iorii mune. The nakago is ha-agari kuri jiri with one mekugi ana. The tang is finished in keisho with osujikai yasurime. The blade is forged in a fine ko itame with profuse fine ji nie. The hamon is suguha based with slight notare. There are running inazuma, sunagashi, hotsure, and other fine ko-nie based hataraki in the nioi deki habuchi.

The blade is mounted in a black-lacquered saya with horn kojiri, koiguchi and kurikata, black tsukaito over good same, with shakudo and gold kiku f/k and menuki. Good iron sukashi tsuba with kiku motif, probably Chosu school. Brown sageo with woven silver thread pattern, good silver foil over copper habaki.

Fujishiro rates Tegara Yama Masashige as Jojo Saku. Masashige was the younger brother of sandai Ujishige, and when his brother died at an early age, he became the head of the school and signed Ujishige until his nephew came of age. He then signed Masashige. The Ujushige forge was at the foot of Tegara Yama. Masashige came to the attention of Etchu Matsudaira Sadanobu, became his retained kaji with a fief of 500 koku, and moved to Edo. He was awarded the title, Kai no Kami, in Kyowa ninen. Some sources indicate he may have studied for a time with Suishinsi Masahide at some point in Edo.

$20,000