Edo Hojoji Masahiro Wakizashi
S0100
A wakizashi signed, Omi no Kami Hojoji Tachibana Masahiro. Hawatare: 1 shaku 6 sun 9 bu (51.21 cm or 20.16"). The jigane is a tight itame hada with ko nie and fine chikei, with an appearance of moistness. The hamon is ko nie deki, of gunome with in a medium notare. There are choji, and ashi iri, nado. There is an area of looser forging toward the front of the blade, and an area of scuffing as a result of the GI being unable to resist testing the cutting ability. However, this is minor, and can easily be corrected. Udu nakago. The habaki is copper with nekogaki. Mounted in military mounts, and with an accompanying shirasaya. NTHK Kanteisho.
Masahiro worked in Musashi province, and was of the Edo Hojoji school. His work is superior, and strongly resembles that of Nagasone Kotetsu, with whom he produced several daisaku. The main kantei point which distinguishes the two, is that the valleys between the gunome are filled up with ko nie in the works of the Edo Hojoji. His work is represented by twenty-one swords in the Juyo Token Nado Zufu. He is rated Jo saku in Nihon Toko Jiten - Shinto Hen by Fujishiro, and valued at 5,500,000 yen in Toko Taikan by Shibata. One of the kantei points that distinguishes the shodai and the nidai is the Kami kanji. In the shodai, the kanji is cocked more sideways and the down stroke crosses the horizontal. The shodai worked from the first year of Meireki (1655) thru the second year of Hoei (1705). The nidai worked from around Enpo to around Shotoku (1673 - 1711). So, aside from the way that the mei is cut, the fact that this is a production of the Kambun jidai, defines this as the work of the first generation. $5,600
Moist Itame Hada
Gunome Within A Notare
Photographs Showing The Scuffing (pictures courtesy of Dean Yamada)
Area Of Loose Forging
Except From NBTHK Article BY Tanobe Michihiro
Nihon Toko Jiten - Shinto Hen Shinto Taikan
NTHK Kanteisho Dating This Wakizashi To Kambun