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Bingo Kanetsugu
This is an absolutely beautiful kanmuri o-toshi wakizashi which dates from the last part of the Nambokucho period. It was made by Kanetsugu, a smith of the Bingo Ko-Mihara school who worked in the village of Kusato. It is exceptionally rare to find swords from the Kusato group and Dr. Tanobe of the sword museum commented that this was the only example he had personally examined. In addition to the scarcity of their works, this is a valuable reference example for pristine ubu signed and dated nakago.
Like many Yamato swords, this blade combines masame kitae with itame. The hada along the edge is all done in flowing masame with long, black chikei. The middle ji is mokume with large whirl-pool formations seen on both sides of the blade. The upper ji near the mune is a very fine ko-itame with small chikei. The hamon is a really remarkable hoso-suguha with profuse hotsure and sunagashi. Cary Condell who originally offered this sword commented that the workmanship resembled Ko-Senjuin. A few months after purchasing this sword I was able to find a Heian period ken from the Ko-Senjuin group and see first hand that the style and quality were very similar.
The restoration is top-quality throughout. Fujishiro Matsu (living national treasure) polished this sword in 2002. Miyajima Hiroshi crafted the habaki which is two-piece solid silver with thick gold foil. The shirasaya is top work by Katayama and Tanobe completed the sayagaki. The NBTHK awarded this sword Tokubetsu Hozon for its high quality workmanship. Overall this is a wonderful sword which I am proud to offer for sale.
original Ikkyudo.com listing
Mei: Bishu Kanetsugu Saku
Date: Meitoku 4 (1394)
Certification: NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon kanteisho (2/2002)
Sayagaki: Tanobe Michihiro, chief research judge
at the Japanese Sword Museum, Tokyo.
Nagasa - 50.0 cm
Moto-haba - 2.7 cm
Not for sale at this time. |
