I am fortunate to become the caretaker of this early Muromachi Era Wakizashi. Originally, I believed this sword to be from the mid-1500's; but upon further research cross referencing several different references including the Connoisseurs Guide and Swordsmiths of Japan (by Markus Sesko), I can confidently place this sword to earlier in the Muromachi Period between 1394-1428.
The sword has a lot of activity throughout the hamon; a very subtle sawtooth cloudy pattern can be seen within the gunome style hamon (unfortunately the pics do not do it justice). I will have to try and do a separate video just on the hamon. It has a deeply curved sori (compared to other wakizashi I have seen). The blade is healthy with no fatal flaws and the polish is in very good condition.
The sword is mounted in an Edo period koshirae, with sunflowers as the theme on the fuchi/kashira. It is a lovely piece. The tsuba is a nice example of Edo craftsmanship. The blade came in shirasaya and the koshirae came supplied with a tsunagi for storage and display. It also came with antique silk sword bag that was quite lovely in it's own right.
Thank you Mr. Hiroaki at the Katana Boutique in Kawaguchi-Shisaitama, Japan for all his help and assistance in acquiring this wonderful wakizashi.
Katana Boutique Link: katana-boutiqu...
Swordsmith: Hoki Ohara Sanemori 伯 耆大 原真 守
伯 耆 Region: Hoki
大 原 Sword School: Ohara
真 守 Smith: Sanemore
Year of manufacture circa 1394-1428
應 永 Oei - 1428 Art period: Muromachi (1392-1573) Sword period: Koto
Nagasa: 20.78 inches (52.8cm)
Sori: 0.82 inches (2.1 cm)
Ove
rall Length: 28.34 inches (72.0 cm)
15 сен 2024
