MS-95 Bizen Sukesada

1600's

Nice long katana from the Bizen Sukesada school. Blade is long (over 27" inches) with a hamon of textbook Bizen koshibiraki gunome midare. The nie deki hamon is done very well. Ashi and small kinsuji are seen along with fine mokume itame hada. In our opinion, this is a blade from the early Shinto period, and not the late Koto Sukesada. The boshi is in midare komi and healthy. Blade is in an old polish that is in nice condition. The tang is ubu 1 hole unsigned.

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Kat-110 Juyo Aoe Ko-Wakizashi

SOLD

Rare High Grade Blade and Mountings

The blade is from the 1300’s from the famous Aoe School which flourished from the time of 1000 till the end of the 1300’s. This blade was originally much longer, but was reshaped as a sunnobi tanto to be worn as a ko-wakizashi that had to be made for a lord of very high status.

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Kat-105 NBTHK Juyo Enju Katana

SOLD

Superb Juyo Token attributed to the Enju School.

The Enju School flourished during the Kamakura and Nanbokucho periods in the Southern part of Japan known as Higo. The founder of the school (Enju Kunimura) was the son of the famous Rai Kuniyuki who studied well under his father then moving to Higo Kikuchi to establish his own school. Actually if not for the boshi activity in this blade, it might have been attributed to the Rai School instead of Enju.

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Kat-103 Kawachi no Kami Kunisuke

SOLD

1600's

Wakizashi by Kawachi no Kami Kunisuke

Rare blade by the 1st generation Kunisuke. In this famous school, the first 2 generations are the most sought after as their work and quality is among the best in Osaka Shinto blades. The 1st generation Kunisuke was a student of Horikawa kunitomo and his works are very similar to those of the 1st Izumi no Kami Kunisada. He originally was a samurai, but when his liege lord lost his position, he vowed to become a master swordsmith. This blade is very well made,, showing all of the key points of a quality Osaka Shinto blade. Thick nie deki hamon with ashi, Osaka styled yakidashi make this a very textbook blade. Nice ko itame hada with lots of fine chikei and ji nie. Boshi is extremely healthy, and is almost ichimai. It almost seems as if this blade might be a copy of a “Go Yoshihiro” , same of which that Kunisada and Shinkai also made. There are No flaws, and the blade is in very excellent polish. In a new shirasaya, silver habaki.

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Kat-102 Nobutomo

SOLD

1600's

One of the most famous blades made by Kashu Nobutomo. Nobutomo was a smith that worked in the 1600’s and made many swords for those under the Maeda Daimyo. Kaga blades were very famous for their exquisite sharpness, and their reputation was so well known, that there are many blades from the Kaga Schools that have test cut signatures on their tangs. This blade in particular is most likely the rarest and most famous Nobutomo. Not only has the blade been tested twice, but is also published in the Kaga Taikan.

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Kat-107 Bishu Osafune Sukesada

September special - regular $7500, this month $6500

Sukesada Katana in Original Mounts 

Excellent example of a late Koto period Sukesada. This wide-bodied katana is classic for the 1500’s. The style is known as “katate-uchi,” which fits this swords shape to perfection. Swords used during the late Muromachi period were often used in the one-handed fashion and as such, were name “katate-uchi”. There are many Sukesada’s during this period, so careful examination of each individual blade is necessary, especially when only signed “Bishu Osafune Sukesada”.

The difference between so-called mass produced pieces is easily apparent when one sees such an example. In massed produced blades, the grain is ugly and loose, and the temper line is dull and has poor shape. These are the mass produced swords made by students for the war effort during the 1500’s. But on occasion, we can see a sword of quality from this school such as this sword we have today for sale. The blade has a beautiful classic gunome with the valleys in between done very well. Kinsuji is seen in places throughout the hamon with also has ashi and yo in places as well. Inazuma with chikei is visbile also and is presented in a beautiful itame-mokume grain pattern. The blade is in excellent polish and the boshi is very healthy. A deep groove runs through the upper portion of the blade, giving this wide blade excellent balance. The tang is probably ubu with a possibly of it being slightly machi raised.

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Kat-106 Higo Mounted Koto blade

$7,500

Rare nicely mounted katana done in the Higo style.

Higo koshirae are very appreciated in Japan among collectors. They had a great sense of nature in both the design, as well as the materials used. This mount is very rare as many Same" (rayskin) scabbards have not survived after WW2. But this type of rayskin is an even more special type known as “Botan Same’” or peony blossom patterned rayskin. The appearance of the pattern of the skin looks like the peony flower in bloom, and this type of rayskin comes only on a rare type of ray. Higo koshirae are famous for their use of "Same" for their scabbards, along with leather or doeskin for the tape binding on the handle. By using these materials to make the mount, the mount is more durable in everyday use and wear. There are many Juyo Higo rated mounts with this combination.

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Tan-118 Tegai Kanehisa

$7,500

Rare Signed Koto Yamato Tanto With Mount

Tanto made by Tegai Kanehisa. Kanehisa was a very well known maker from the famous Yamato Tegai School. The Tegai School was most famous from the kamakura period through the Muromachi period as one of the top Yamato den Schools. Even the famous Soshu smith Kaneuji originally worked in the Yamato tradition, and his early roots are known as Yamato Shizu and resemble works of Tegai smiths. This tanto is made by one of the most famous Early Muromachi Tegai smiths. He is rated as Jojosaku, and signed pieces are very very rare. For some reason many Tegai pieces are unsigned, so finding a signed original example is very difficult.

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