Japanese long sword (Katana): g. cond, 64.3cm shallow curved...

Estimate

$7,000 - $9,000

Japanese long sword (Katana): g. cond, 64.3cm shallow curved blade, tang 20.2cm, old polish, clearly visible straight temper line, forging grain evident, one side v. light peppering of fine rust spots & small area of pitting adj. back, other side v. slight pitting adj. ridgeline; unsigned, shortened tang of good colour with 4 holes & hollyhock crest (aoi mon) of Tokugawa Shogun near tip suggesting blade made by an early 17th cent. Yasutsugu swordsmith in Echizen province, however, a later formal judging by Japanese Shinsa panel (NTHK) put the unsigned blade to a mid-18th cent (ca1740) swordsmith of the Echizen Shimosaka group; vg. quality mounting (koshirae), scabbard lacquered in light colour with crushed pearl shell overlaid with a finely detailed, swirling, cloud-like, regular pattern in black lacquer (v. small damage at end) the whole of striking appearance, scabbard implements (kogai & kozuka) of gilt, high relief dragon & tiger on a black (shakudo) finely stippled fish-roe (nanako) ground, the handle with g. tight blue silk binding over white stingray hide with large, high relief, gilt dragon menuki, handle fittings (fuchi & kashira) of a gilt, high relief dragon on a shakudo nanako ground, the fuchi inscribed MITSUHARU SAKU, & lastly the koshirae is fitted with an exc. pierced, iron guard (tsuba) portraying 3 butterflies, the tsuba rim being gilt & inscribed MASASHIGE. Comes with a folder of comprehensive research on the sword & a previous owner, Colonel Richard Harold MARSON who acquired the sword whilst on service in Japan with BCOF after WWII. Also, is a worksheet for a Certificate of Authenticity for the sword mounting (koshirae) to be issued by the Tokyo-based Nihon Token Hozon Kai (NTHK) in Sydney 2011