An Echigo tanto
Muromachi period (14th century), signed Masanobu, with partial date Hachigatsu jugo nichi (the fifteenth-day of the eighth month) and with additional inscriptions in Sanskrit
Sugata [configuration]: hira-zukuri with no curvature, very wide and mune-hikushi
Kitae [forging pattern]: muji
Hamon [tempering pattern]: chu-suguha
Boshi [tip]: o-maru
Nakago [tang]: suriage with kiri file marks, one mekugi-ana, furisode ha-agari kurijiri
Habaki [collar]: double gold-clad copper
Nagasa [length of blade]: 20.9cm
Horimono [carving]: with carvings of a kongosho on the mune and possibly Sanskrit on the hira-ji; all heavily polished down
Accompanied by a certificate of registration as a Tokubetsu kicho token (Sword worthy of preserving) no. 73018 issued by the Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai (Society for the Preservation of the Japanese Art Sword), dated 1963.5.12
An Echigo tanto
Muromachi period (14th century), signed Masanobu, with partial date Hachigatsu jugo nichi (the fifteenth-day of the eighth month) and with additional inscriptions in Sanskrit
Sugata [configuration]: hira-zukuri with no curvature, very wide and mune-hikushi
Kitae [forging pattern]: muji
Hamon [tempering pattern]: chu-suguha
Boshi [tip]: o-maru
Nakago [tang]: suriage with kiri file marks, one mekugi-ana, furisode ha-agari kurijiri
Habaki [collar]: double gold-clad copper
Nagasa [length of blade]: 20.9cm
Horimono [carving]: with carvings of a kongosho on the mune and possibly Sanskrit on the hira-ji; all heavily polished down
Accompanied by a certificate of registration as a Tokubetsu kicho token (Sword worthy of preserving) no. 73018 issued by the Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai (Society for the Preservation of the Japanese Art Sword), dated 1963.5.12
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