AS21289 Wakizashi:Bicchu Kuni Mizuta Jyu Kunishige

Ordering number:AS21289
Wakizashi in Shirasaya with Koshirae.(NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Token)

Signature :　Bicchu Kuni Mizuta Jyu Kunishige
備中國水田住国重

(We divide 4 sections for each sword as Saijyo saku, Jyo-jyo saku Jyo saku and regular saku)
This sword belongs to Jyo Jyo Saku ranking.
The blade was polished.
Habaki :　On the copper Habaki, wave, moon, and sun are engraved with gold color.
Blade length : 54.2 cm or 21.34 inches.
Sori :0.6cm or 0.236 inches.
Mekugi : 2
Width at the hamachi : 2.92cm or 1.15 inches.
Width at the Kissaki : 1.99 cm or 0,78 inches.
Kasane : 0.81cm or 0.32 inches.
The weight of the sword 535 grams.
Era : Edo period Kanbun era.
Shape : The blade is regular widthm thickness with small sori and longer kissaki like Kanei style.
Jigane :Koitame hada well grained with jinie attach and small chikei work.
Hamon :Konie deki with deep nioikuchi Futo suguha and gunome midare mixed.
Bo-shi is deep nioikuchi round shape and yakisage long.
On the Shinogi-ji, many Yaki.

Special feature: This Bicchu Kuni Mizuta Ju Kunishige’s work, in which Nioikuchi is deeply identified as Ooyogo from the state of Taihai and Hamon.
The ancestor of Bicchu Kuni Mizuta Ju Kunishige was Saemon Jo
Kunishige at the end of the Muromachi period, and it is a group of swordsmiths who continued until the end of the Edo period. Initially it was a work close to Bizenden, but it began to produce so-syu den, and its style was unified with so-syu den, which was liked by many Samurai.

Koshirae :
Saya :black roiro saya.
Fuchikashira:Highly carve rough waves on the Syakudo plate and apply color painting with gold.
Inscription: Yoshinori Umetada Uji Umetada A child of Shichi zaemon Munetatsu, who is called the grandson of the 32nd generation of the head family, and the father of Shich zaemon Muneaki. Kyoto Nishijin ju Late Edo period
Tsuba :On the oval shape iron tsuba, snails are engraved with gold color.
Menuki : On the table, a child blowing a whistle is engraved with Shakudo and painted with gold. Is it the way back from collecting firewood from the mountains?
Highly engraved cow pattern on the back and painted with gold.

From Aoi Art:This work has a style reminiscent of the deep Inoue
Shinkai of the gentle nioikuchi, and it becomes a rough nie for Shinogiji, and its goodness is considered to be a masterpiece of Ooyogo Kunishige among Kunishige. Compared to Shinkai, it is a slightly coarser nie, and its hamon makes it feel rough and wild.
The habaki about Wakizashi is also wonderful. The moon was drawn in silver on the front and the sun was drawn on the back.
The figure is drawn with syakudo. Koshirae’s Fuchikashira is also
wonderful and probably habaki was also made.
Bicchu Kuni Kunishige’s high-ranking swordsmith is a wonderful work of Inoue Shinkai style. I highly recommend it.

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