55.
The blade is clean old polish, and easily enjoyed, but it would benefit from a
touch up polish. The koshirae is WWII kaigunto, matching numbers, and a
name on the tsuka under the fuchi. Gassan Katana
S0171
REDUCED FOR QUICK SALE: $3,200
An o-suriage mumei Gassan
katana in kaigunto koshirae. Shinogizukure, shallow torri zori, and an
extended kissaki. Hawatare: 2 shaku 1 sun 8 bu 7 rin (66.27 cm or
26.09"). Motohaba: 2.92 cm. Sakihaba: 2.06 cm. Kasane: 6.7 mm.
Kissaki: 4.16 cm. Suguba ko-midare, gunome-notare within the suguba in the
front portion of the blade. Small areas of hotsure. There is ha nie,
kinsuji, and soft shallow ashi iri, nado. The jigane is a classic ayasugi
hada. There is ji nie. The boshi is a continuation of the hamon
pattern tsukiage with slight hakikaki and a long narrow kaeri. There is a
shallow ware in the hamon just behind the boshi, but it is only a slight
looseness in the forging. The nakago is very slender and the o-suriage was
probably done in late shinto or early shinshinto times, it is possible to follow
the hamon into the nakago. There is green paint from the arsenal
55.
The blade is clean old polish, and easily enjoyed, but it would benefit from a
touch up polish. The koshirae is WWII kaigunto, matching numbers, and a
name on the tsuka under the fuchi.
According to the Meikan, there were twenty-four Gassan smiths in koto times, from Hogen (1156-1159) to Tenmon (1532-1555). While the lore has Gassan smiths working from Kamakura times, Homma Sensei remarked in Nihonto Koza, Vol. III, that he had never seen a signed example earlier than Nambokucho. If this had sakizori, I would date it to later Muromachi, but since there is torri sori and an elongated kissaki, the sugata suggests a product of Nambokucho, and there was a Gassan smith working in Joji (1362-1368), but this is only speculation on my part. This has not gone to shinsa, and I could well be wrong. $5,850
Ayasugi Hada
Tsukiage Boshi With Slight Hakikaki & Long Narrow Kaeri
Shallow Tate Ware A Long Kinsuji
Ha Nie
