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Hamon : Nie deki suguha. The nioi-guchi is bright with dense ko-nie.
Boshi : O-maru with a long return.
Kitae : Ko-itame with ji-nie.
About this sword : A kissaki-moroha-zukuri tanto with a fine late Edo period koshirae. This tanto is ubu and mumei. The shape of the blade was made famous by the Kogarasu Maru "Little Crow", attributed to Amakuni, circa 8th century. A revival of old styles occurred before the Bakumatsu period (1853-1868) and continued into Meiji/Taisho times. This tanto looks to date to that time period. The blade has no kizu and has a skillful sugata with an evenly tempered hamon. The geometry of the polish is excellent. There are some light rubs on the polish, these are easy to ignore.
The koshirae is visually stunning and is well-preserved. The raised red urushi pattern on the saya is especially gorgeous. The menuki represent two of the gods of good fortune, Hotei and Ebisu. They are both shown in takabori and standing on a coin - one silver and one gold. The rest of the fittings are in a floral pattern with kiri kamon on the iron tsuba. Two original seppa are present. It is also accompanied by a kozuka and an old sageo. Overall, a beautiful tanto in great condition.
$4400
