AS20586 Katana:(Tachi Mei) Ichi Hizen Kuni Dewa Kami Yukihiro Shinten Saku (first generation)

Ordering number:AS20586
Katana in Shirasaya with Koshirae and Kae Saya( NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Token)

Signature :　(Tachi Mei) Ichi Hizen Kuni Dewa Kami Yukihiro Shinten Saku (first generation)
一肥前国出羽守行広以真鍛作

Sayagaki: Written boy Honami Koson.
Hizen Koku Yukihiro, blade length is 2Shaku 2 Sun 9Bu.
Dai Kinsu 30Mai, Taisho 5 Nen 11 Gatsu.

(We divide 4 sections for each sword as Saijyo saku, Jyo-jyo saku Jyo saku and regular saku)
This sword belongs to Saijyo saku ranking.
The blade was polished by nice polisher.
Habaki :　Gold foiled double habaki.
Blade length : 69.6cm or 27.4 inches.
Sori : 1.4cm or 0.55 inches.
Mekugi : 1
Width at the hamachi : 3.09 cm or 1.217 inches.
Width at the Kissaki : 1.82 cm or 0.72 inches.
Kasane : 0.73cm or 0.29 inches.
The weight of the sword 785 grams.
Era : Edo period Kanbun era.1661.
Shape : The blade is wide and thick with suitable sori and longer kissaki nice looking shape.
Jigane : Ko Itame hada well grained with jinie attach beautiful Hizen konuka hada texture.
Hamon :From Hamachi to Nioikuchi’s deep Suguha hamon, and beyond that, Nioikuchi’s deeply rounded Gunome midare. high part of the hamon almost reach to the shinogi ji.

Special feature: Yukihiro was a swordsmith of Hizen province. He was the Second son of Hashimoto Yoshinobu. Yukihiro got the title of Dewa Daijo in 1648 and ranked up to Dewa (No) Kami in 1663. He went to Nagasaki to learn under Hisatsugu and Tanenaga who were well informed about western steels brought　by the Dutch. Later he became a retained swordsmith　of the Nabeshima family and lived in Nagase town. He passed away in 1683, aged 66.　This blade is quite healthy and fantastic without faults or flows.

Koshirae :
Saya :Black Nishime ji saya.
Tsuba :On the round shape iron tsuba, a shishi dog and peony flower are engraved and open work.
Menuki : On the shakudo plate, shishi dog designe is engraved with gold color.
Fuchikashira:On the syakudo nanako plate, small Kiri family crests are engraved.

From Aoi Art: Yukihiro is the second son of Hashimoto Yoshinobu of Hizen Saga and is commonly known as Kurobei. After receiving Dewa Daijyo in the 5th year of Shoho (1648) and being promoted to Dewa kami in the 3rd year of Kanbun (1663), he went to Nagasaki after learning sword making from Hisatsugu and Tanenaga who were Dutch iron swordsmith masters and after that he started engraving his Nakago “Motte Nanbantetsu”(trained by Dutch iron). He served for Nabeshima Sakyo and lives in Nagase Town. He died in the third year of Tenna (1683) when he was sixty-six years old. This work shows the Hamon like a cumulonimbus in the blue sky, which Hizen Masahiro and Dewa Kami Yukihiro were good at making. Sunagashi and Kinsuji running in the blade, which look like lightnings in the cloud, are wonderfully ranked as the best work. The condition of Nakago is also wonderful, and I think it is a swing that has been carefully preserved with one Mekugi hole. Koshirae consists of iron tsuba of lion and peony and fittings with a dignified pattern. We highly recommend the work with no flaws, which is excellent because it comes with the Honami ko-son’s sayagaki and the saya and Koshirae newly created in November 1918.

NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Token
Aoi Art estimation paper: whole Oshigata.