Description
Ordering number: AS21459
Katana in Shirasaya with Koshirae.（NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Token）(Consignment Sale)
Signature : Fujiwara Nagasada 藤原永貞
Keiou 4 nen 2 gatsu hi oite Edo Aoyama Tsukuru Kore
Tachibana Kuranosuke Tamesu Kore
(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.
Habaki : Gold foiled single habaki.
Blade length : 69.4cm or 27.3inches.
Sori :1.3 cm or 0.39inches.
Mekugi : 1
Width at the hamachi :3.09 cm or 1.21inches.
Width at the Kissaki : 2.25 cm or 0.88inches.
Kasane :0.61 cm or 0.24inches.
The weight of the sword:725 grams.
Era : The late Edo period, Keio 4(1868) the very last year of the Edo period.
Shape :The blade is wide and thick, Ububa is left, Sori is rather shallow, Kissaki is long.
Jigane :Koitame-hada well grained, healthy, pastel Utsuri appears.
Hamon :Niedeki, Suguha, and Futaeba work, Uchinoke appears, Kinsuji works along the blade in Hachu.
Special feature:Fujiwara Nagasada was a lower branch of the Mino Koku
Akasaka Senjuin, born in Taruicho(Gifu prefecture) in Bunka 6(1809),
named Matsui Jiichiro. He had made a lot of swords which
has the Mei of “Okachiyama Sanroku”(means Okachiyama mountains),
where Tokugawa Ieyasu had taken a command to the entire army.
Nagasada came to Edo when he was around 36 years old (Koka era 1845-1848)
and became a pupil at Taikei Naotane, and studied making swords at Edo Aoyama,
and later he became an employee sword smith at Kishu Tokugawa family.
He passed away at the age of 61 in June Meiji 2(1869).
He was a diligent sword smith and there are no bad stuffs left.
Koshirae :
Tsuba:Mokko shaped iron Tsuba, words are engraved in the center,
silver inlays are made around the center. The rim is colored by gold using patterns.
Fuchikashira:Iron plate, patterns are engraved with gold color.
Saya :Dark brown Saya with engraved patterns, Kawari-nuri-saya.
Menuki : Shakudo plate, figure of the Shishi-dog is engraved.
From Aoi Art:Okachiyama(Fujiyama) Nagasada made a successful career as
a private sword smith at Kishu Tokugawa family, studied sword
making at Taikei Naotane as a pupil, learned Soshuden perfectly
and made masterpieces like this one. He made this sword in
Kyoto in Meiji 1(1868), intended to make Hasebe school, and
made it really magnificently: very powerful atmosphere and
Kinsuji at Hachu is drastically visible. Nagasada often used
“Okachiyama” Mei, or sometimes “Isetamaru”, he made swords
in several places. Okachiyama is a name of the place where
Hidetada won a war named “Osaka Fuyu no Jin”(Winter War in
Osaka), and people started to call the place
“Okachiyama”(Winning Mountain”). And “Isetamaru” means
Tamaru castle in Ise. He made swords also in Edo Aoyama, or in
Kyoto like this work. He was so diligent, and his style changed
from Mino style into Soshuden style and made wonderful
swords. This work was intended to mimic Yamato-den: Tegai-
kanenaga or Toma. Especially the Suguha with deep Nioikuchi at
around Monouchi is bright and great, it is a definite
masterpiece which reminds us of Kanenaga’s swords; very
refined. His Soshuden skills came from Taikei Naotane, and very
similar. Nagasada made lots of Soshuden and Yamatoden
swords, and he remarkably harmonized deep part and shallow
part of the Nioikuchi in this work. We definitely recommend this
work for you.
In addition, there is a Mei on Nakago(stem), means: Keio 4
(1868) made this sword at Edo Aoyama, Tachibana
Kuranosuke did cutting test.
[FOR YOUR REFERENCE]
Tachibana Kuranosuke(1820-1880) was a Kenjutsu/Bujutsu
master of Ryuko school during the period from the late Edo
period to Meiji period. He was born in Watarai-gun(present
Minami-ise Watarai-bu in Mie prefecture) , Isenokuni, as a
second son of Yokoji Ryozauemon. He was adopted to
Isenokuni Watarai-bu Tamaru(present:Tamaki-cho Watarai-gun
in Mie prefecture)Kishu domain Tamaru Azukari Doshin
Tameemon at the age of 14, however soon after the adoption,
his adoptive parents passed away. After that, he learned
Bujutsu from Bujutsu master Naoi Katugorou from the Ryuko
school in Tamaru. After Naoi died, sword master Hayashi
Rokunesuke from Bizen visited him, he let him stay at his house
to learn Kenjutsu. In Tempo 15(1844) he was invited to Edo
by Matsudaira Tadanori, who was a senior pupil at Naoi school,
to be a Shihandai at Tadatoshi’s Dojo. After that he went back
to Tamaru and started his own Dojo, he taught not only
Bujutsu but also study. His coaching was so harsh, however
not only Bushi but also farmers went to his Dojo, and the
number of his pupils were supposed to be thousands. Koura
Sounai, who was promoted to Kishu domain Kanjo Ginmi Yaku
from Daikan, recommended Kuranosuke as a Kenjutsu master
to be seen by Shogun, and in April of Ansei 5(1858) he
performed his Kenjutsu skills in front of the Shogun Tokugawa
Iemochi. On the 3rd May of next year, exhibition fight between
a pupil at Kuranosuke Dojo and pupils at 4 schools of Kenjutsu
Shihan in Kishu domain was taken place and the power and the
skill of Ryuko school was officially acknowledged, so that Ryuko
school was adopted as an official Kenjutsu style taught in
domain school in Kishu domain. In June of Meiji 13(1880), 119
pupils celebrated his 60th birthday and constructed a
monument in Koutai-shrine in Miyako, Watarai-gun, however he
passed away on 11th of November in the same year.(From
wikipedia, translated by Aoi Art)
This is a masterpiece Sashiryo made in Edo Aoyama for
Tachibana Kuranosuke, one of the most popular Bujutsu
master in the late Edo period, which has still Ububa left. Please
preserve it for your next generation. The sword has dignity and
the Koshirae was made in the same age of swords. We
definitely recommend this masterpiece for you.
NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Token
Aoi Art estimation paper:whole Oshigata.
日本語
