AS25329 Katana:Sagami no Kuni Hiroki Hirokuni Saku (Mukansa Swordsmith) Heisei 24 Nen Naotake (2012) (Poem Inscribed)

Ordering number:AS25329

Katana in Koshirae

Signature: Sagami no Kuni Hiroki Hirokuni Saku (Mukansa Swordsmith)
Heisei 24 Nen Naotake (2012)
Poem inscribed on the reverse side of the tang

相模国廣木弘邦造(無監査刀匠)
平成二十四年尚武
秋をおきて時こそありけれ菊の花移ろふからに色のまされば

We divide 4 sections for each sword as Saijyo Saku, Jyojyo Saku, Jyo Saku and Regular Saku.
This work is ranked as Jyojyo Saku among the works of Sagami no Kuni Hiroki Hirokuni.
Habaki: Single-layered shakudo habaki
Blade Length: 71.6 cm (28.19 in)
Curvature: 2.0 cm (0.79 in)
Mekugi Hole: 1
Width at Base (Motohaba): 2.95 cm (1.16 in)
Width at Yokote (Sakihaba): 2.10 cm (0.83 in)
Thickness (Kasane): 0.73 cm (0.29 in)
Sword Weight: 660 grams
Era: Modern
Shape: A slightly wide blade with bohi carvings on both sides, deep curvature, and an extended kissaki, forming a well-balanced shape.
Jigane:A tight and refined ko-itame hada, showing excellent forging. A healthy blade with the ubuha (original edge) remaining.
Hamon:Constructed in ko-nie style with a deeply defined nioiguchi. Features a gunome-midare pattern with long ashi activity, soft and varied in the blade interior and tip. The boshi is midarekomi (irregularly turns into the tip).

Features: The smith’s real name was Junichi Hiroki, born in 1948 in Fukuoka Prefecture. He later moved to Atsugi City, Kanagawa Prefecture. He learned swordsmithing from his father, Kunihiro Hiroki, and further trained under Masamine Sumitani, a Living National Treasure. He won numerous awards and became an uninspected swordsmith (mukansa tosho) in 1996. Particularly renowned for his works in the Soden Bizen tradition. He passed away in May 2013 at the age of 65.

Koshirae:
Tsuba: Round shakudo nanako-ji tsuba with engraved chrysanthemum flowers and gold inlay. Gold detailing on the rim.
Fuchikashira: Shakudo fittings engraved with wave and paulownia motifs, with gold inlay.
Saya (Scabbard): Ume kawahada saya (plum bark finish).
Menuki: High-relief carving of lions, finished with gold inlay.

Aoi Art’s Comment: This sword does not have the heavy and massive characteristics often found in modern swords, but instead shows a refined and elegant style. The hamon is particularly well-formed with a deeply defined nioiguchi. A poem is engraved on the reverse side of the tang:
秋越をおきて時こそありけれ菊の花移ろふからに色のまされば
The mieaning of the verse is;
“Even in this season after autumn has passed, there is a special sense of elegance.
It is precisely because the chrysanthemum flowers begin to wither that their colors appear all the more beautiful”

This poem expresses the sense of impermanence and the beauty of transience, reflecting the distinctly Japanese aesthetic of finding beauty precisely in the fleeting moment — “beautiful because it is about to fade.”

Aoi Art Estimation Paper: Whole Oshigata