Live Auction 7316The Japanese Aesthetic
A SODEN AIKUCHI TANTO
Lot 256 THE PROPERTY OF A CANADIAN COLLECTOR

A SODEN AIKUCHI TANTO

SIGNED SOSHU JU YASUHARU, MUROMACHI-MOMOYAMA PERIOD (16TH CENTURY)

Closed7 November 2012

Price Realised

GBP 7,500

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A SODEN AIKUCHI TANTO
SIGNED SOSHU JU YASUHARU, MUROMACHI-MOMOYAMA PERIOD (16TH CENTURY)
Sugata [configuration]: hirazukuri, iori-mune, broad slight curve
Kitae [forging pattern]: well-forged kane of itame and mokume with jinie
Hamon [tempering pattern]: irregular gunome hamon of nioi base with ko-nie
Horimono [carvings]: bohi, koshibi with remnant of a sanskrit character
Boshi [tip]: komaru with togari on ura
Nakago [tang]: ubu, single mekugi-ana, osuchigai file marks, kengata jiri
Habaki [collar]: single copper
Nagasa [length of blade]: 31.1cm.
Koshirae [mounting]: aikuchi koshirae, the saya lacquered red, the tsuka black, all metal fittings en suite of dark-patinated shibuichi sheet with a profusion of cherry blossoms and tendrils in gold hirazogan

Specialist note

The first Yasuhara, the son of Yasukuni, a native of Shimada in Suruga province, went together with his teacher Shimada Gisuke to work for the Hojo clan in the castle town of Odawara in 1504. He received the alternative character Yasu of the name he adopted in Odawara from Hojo Ujiyasu, and this character was inherited by his son. The second generation left many works dating from around the middle and third quarter of the 16th century. The signatures of the two generations are very similar, but the present sword exhibits both the Mino-influenced hamon, and the broad even curved style of the late 16th-early 17th century Momoyama style, and is thought likely to be by the second generation.