ECHIZEN SADATSUGU WAKIZASHI

Echizen Sadatsugu Wakizashi

S0122

A wakizashi by Shodai Echizen Sadatsugu. Hawatare: 1 saku 4 sun 8 bu (44.85 cm or 17.66"). Motohaba: 2.71 cm Sakihaba: 1.86 cm. Kasane: 5.5 mm. Shinogizukure, chu kissaki, iroi mune. Nie deki gunome midare, ha nie, sunagashi, kinsuji, large uchinoke, hataraki, nado. The jigane is itame mokume nagare having a slightly rough appearance, there is ji nie and chikei. The boshi is almost an ichimai, though is finished in ko maru, filled with ko nie, there are hakikaki. Mounted in shirasaya with niju silver habaki. NBTHK Hozon kanteisho.

Formal aiguchi wakizashi style koshirae for upper level samurai. Horn fuchi-kashira and a waisted unwrapped tsuka. The menuki are deep shakudo and gold, open work mon in the style of Ko Mino. The interior of the mon is finished in nanako. The unsigned kozuka and kogai are deep black shakudo & gold utori, fine nanako ground with shakudo mon in positive and negative. The positive, finished in keibori. While they started their life as a set of menuki and futokoromono, it is legitimate to marry sets, and as a set they become a mitokoromono (ref. Jidai Mitokoro Shu). The three pieces are of the Tsuta-Kamon which was used by the Daimyos Okudo In Mikawa, Oshima in Suruga, Tanakura in Mutsu, Kawagoe in Musashi, Honjo in Dewa, as well as Matsunaga Hisahide and Toda Takatora during the Sengoku jidai.

The first generation Sadatsugu was active around Kanei (1624 - 1644), and was an Echizen Shimosaka smith. He was the son of Ichijo ju Kanetsuna, and a member of the first generation Yasutsuna mon. His first signature was Sadamichi. He is rated Jo Saku in Nihon Toko Jiten - Shinto Hen, rated with a double triangle in Nihon To Meikan, and valued at 3,500,000 yen in Shibata's Toko Taikan. $9,250