A COMPOSED DAISHO

This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 9/10/2024

Literally "long and short" the daisho was the pair of swords worn by samurai, mandated in 1629 and restricted to samurai in 1683; they are the quintessential samurai item. The daito (long sword) is signed by Nakata Kanehide, born 1913, student of 12th generation Kawashima Masahide beginning in 1928. In 1937, he is recorded in Seki as a student of Watanabe Kanenaga, and in November of that year was a chief student at Kanenaga's school. He left the school in 1940, and in 1941 became a Rikugun Jumei Tosho. After the war, he started making swords again in 1954, and is last recorded in Imonoshiya. See Slough, pg. 41. 71cm nagasa of classic shinogi zukuri form, ubu nakago signed "Noshu Ju Kanehide Saku" and dated a day in the 12th month of Showa 48 (December, 1973), with katte sagari yasurime, single mekugi-ana, and kiri nakagojiri. Gold foiled habaki with a carved design of falling rain. Features a very tight itame hada with some sots of mokume burls, a thin suguha with ashi; the feeling is that of Yamashiro, particularly Enju. The shoto (short sword) is suriage, and of late Muromachi form. 40.8cm (approximately 16") nagasa of classic shinogi zukuri form. Nakago with kiri nakagojiri, kiri yasruime, and single mekugi-ana. Silver foil habaki with carved design of falling rain. Grain is a mixture of mokume and itame, temper is a straight suguha with a bright nioiguchi, o-maru boshi, and hakikake. Mounts are extremely similar, with roiro saya, tsuba in the form of pierced fans accented with damascene on wakizashi, and with gold dots on the katana. Katana with fuchi-lashira incised with designs of sewing tools, dragonfly menuki, and nice, high quality sa-me with large nodules. Wakizashi fuchi with a tengu spirit, menuki in the form of samurai, and kashira depicting a scholar; both mounts fit with tsunagi. CONDITION: Katana is very good, healthy, with some minor handling marks and one minute strike at mune on left side, and surface mossing up the mune. Wakizashi with some looseness in the hada, with areas of shintetsu, and one area of oxidation at mune, but otherwise good with clear features. Mounts are very good with some age related discoloration, but solid and highly attractive.

Name

Value

Blade Length

(A) 71cm (B) 40.8cm

Overall Length

(A) 39" (B) 23 - 3/4"