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Hamon : Ko-nie deki suguha with a soft nioi guchi. There is some ko gunome mixed in. The hamon has abundant hataraki of ashi nezumi ashi, hotsure and vibrant sunagashi in the monouchi.
Boshi : Midare komi with hakikake and kaen with a short return. There is livley sunagashi inside the boshi.
Kitae : Well forged itame with some mokume mixed in. There is "misty" ji-nie and the uniqure hera-kage utsuri of the Nio school can be seen.
About this sword : This is a fine katana that has been attributed to the Ko Nio School by the NBTHK. The Nio school is known to show Yamato traits in their workmanship. This is due to the fact that Suo was a manor of the Yamato Nara Todai-ji which was patronized by the Tegai. Yamato influence can be clearly seen in this blade. Of note is the high-wide shinogi-ji and the abundance of parallel hataraki in the sugu-ha hamon. A unique utsuri, called hera-kage appears on the ji of this sword. It begins looking similar to mizukage and then raises into a white flowing band between the hamon and the shinogi-ji. This utsuri is unique to the Nio school.
This katana received Tokubetsu Hozon papers which note the period of production as well as the school. Of course, Tokubetsu Hozon papers are highly desirable and even more so when they contain specific information beyond a school attribution. The paper states that this blade was made in the late Nanbokucho period. The Nanbokucho period began in 1336 and ended in 1392. As indicated by "late Nanbokucho" we know this blade would have been made sometime around 1370 - 1392. Having a high paper that nails down the period of production is highly valuable for our learning and comparative study.
The nakago of this blade is nearly ubu. The nakago jiri appears original and this may have been slightly machi-okuri. The overall sugata of this blade, that we see now, is the same as it was in 1370-1392. This blade being nearly ubu is very exciting and quite valuable for our learning.
The health of this blade is quite remarkable, There are no kizu and the width of the hamon and boshi have been well preserved. The restoration of this katana was all done in Japan through Mr. Tanobe and the NBTHK. The geometry and clarity of the polish is ideal and the silver habaki as well as the shirasaya are all professionally made.
This blade is accompanied by a nice WWII gunto koshirae with a tsunagi. This is an early gunto koshirae which has the nicer sukashi style gunto tusba. The retaining clasp for the saya is missing, otherwise the overall condition of this koshirae is excellent. The mounts feature a family mon on the kashira and the original rank tassel is still intact. This is the blue and brown colored tassel used by company grade officers. So, we know that this blade would have belonged to a Lieutenant or a Captain and that he was from an old family. These mounts certainly add an additional aspect of appreciation and the enjoyment to the blade. It is wonderful to preserve the last koshirae that this 600 year old blade wore into battle.
An exciting offering that we are proud to recommend highly.
Price: $10,500
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