December 10, 2019 Edged Weapon, Armor & Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/10/2019
The 68.4cm blade with complex ko-choji hamon and perfectly cut hi extending through the nakago. Delicate small boshi. The nakago with three mekugi-ana, one vestigal and cut at the jiri; the other two, one of shinshinto date, other of modern origin, likely to have been placed to accommodate the splendid silver mounts. The koshirae of exemplary quality appears to be of solid silver with Tokugawa mon on a fine nanako ground throughout. The saya with gold lacquer Tokugawa mon en suite with the mounts. The orange wrap at first appears to be modern, however, examination under glass reveals age deterioration to the brocade under the wrap and handle wrap itself appears to be of pre-War origin. CONDITION: Blade is in full bright polish with no significant flaws, some slight micro corrosion in the ha towards the hamachi and a few microchips in the boshi which are only visible under magnification. Hada appears to be extremely fine item. Hi are perfectly cut. Nakago is excellent with lovely age patination. Mounts are pristine with all itomaki no tachi mounts intact. Original ashi with Tokugawa mon en suite, lacquer is excellent with no visible damage. All together, this is a most spectacular itomaki no tachi and has everything a Japanese sword collector could possibly want. Accompanying this lot is also a fine selection of books on Japanese swords, including "Facts and Fundamentals of Japanese Swords" by Nobuo Nakahara and translated by Paul Martin, "The Japanese Sword: A Comprehensive Guide" by Kanzan Sato and translated by Joe Earle, "Japanese Swords: Cultural Icons of A Nation" by Colin M. Roach, and "Samurai: The Weapons and Spirit of the Japanese Warrior" by Clive Sinclaire. MZ