Perry’s arrival in 1853 unraveled the Tokugawa peace and created the first mass demand for working swords in two centuries. Kiyomaro, called the Masamune of Yotsuya, died on its eve; Munetsugu and Yukihide carried the boom to the end.
NihontoWatchNihontoWatchMotohaba(Width at ha-machi) approx. 3.12cm Gyokushinsai Minamoto Masakage (Masakage), whose real name was Goto Risuke, was born in Toyama, Etchu Province. He went to Edo and entered the school of Minamoto Masao, but later also studied under Suishinshi Masatsugu, who had established a school in Shitaya Okachimachi like his master, to improve his forging techniques; after completing his training, he moved to the Echigo Takada castle town and established a smithy, responding to the demands of the Bakumatsu era of upheaval. This tanto has a wide and rugged tsukurikomi in sunnobi style with a full fukura, while on the other hand, it features a shin no mune and the nakago is finished with kesho-yasuri and a kurijiri, a stylish finish reminiscent of his master Suishinshi Masatsugu. The jigane of ko-itame kitae mixed with masame-hada toward the ha is thickly covered in ji-nie, with the hada standing out finely due to chikei lurking beneath the surface, suggesting excellent cutting ability. The hamon is a gunome-midareba with variations in width and undulation, and the boshi is a shallow midare-komi with a small maru that is slightly pointed at the tip and returns toward the mune, a workmanship following the habits of his master Masao. The yakiba, with a brilliantly clear nioiguchi composed of a blend of ko-nie and nioi, features countless nioiasi accompanying a series of small gunome that seem to press against each other. It is truly a masterpiece that integrates the secret traditions of both masters, Minamoto Masao and Masatsugu. The kiku-mon on the ura of the nakago evokes the spirit of Joi and restoration that surged during the same period, and one can sense an extraordinary strong will in this tanto as well.
NihontoWatchMasakage正蔭
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Machine translation from the shop's Japanese · may contain errors ·
Echigo · around 1861-1864
Tōken Taikan top 97%
3 pieces on the market now
Bakumatsu: the last war market
Perry’s arrival in 1853 unraveled the Tokugawa peace and created the first mass demand for working swords in two centuries. Kiyomaro, called the Masamune of Yotsuya, died on its eve; Munetsugu and Yukihide carried the boom to the end.
A Hozon-certified blade judged to show notably superior workmanship and a better state of preservation. The bar is higher: re-tempered blades and most unsigned Muromachi/Edo works are excluded.
The NBTHK (Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai, the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords) is a public-interest incorporated foundation founded in 1948 and supervised by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs (Bunkachō); it is based at the Japanese Sword Museum in Tokyo. Its expert panels physically examine each submitted work (shinsa) and issue a certificate (kanteishō) ranking it by artistic and historical merit. NBTHK papers are the most widely recognized standard of authentication for Japanese swords and fittings.
NBTHK official siteIf, due to our fault, the item differs significantly from its proper condition, the item may be returned. Cooling-off is within one week of the item's arrival.