KANEFUSA AIGUCHI

Kanefusa Aiguchi

S0184

REDUCED NEW PRICE: $6,500

A wakizashi signed nijimei, Kanefusa. Hirazukure, iroi mune, sori-fukai. Hawatare: 1 shaku 3 bu 7 rin (31.43 cm or 12.375"). Hamachi: 3.23 cm. Kasane: 6.1 mm. Sori: 1.16 cm. Hitatsura gunome and choji midare, yahazu, tobiyaki, ashi iri, yo. Fine ha nie which boils away into the ji in places. Sunagashi and kinsuji, nado. Itame nagare, hada tatsu, fine ji nie chikei, a bit of nioi utsure, nado. NTHK certificate with the stamps of all four judges.

The tsuka is excellent same with large nodules. The design of the mitokoromono is gold male and female dragons. The gold menuki are male and female dragons, excellent detail, and condition. The shakudo nanako kogai has a gilt male dragon. The kozuka has a gilt dragon on a shakudo nanako ground. The saya is good quality black lacquer. The habaki is gold foil, refoiled by a repeated winner of the NBTHK habaki contest.

This Kanefusa is a Mino seki smith, who was active around Tensho ( 1573-1592). I had mistakenly identified it as fifth generation working around Eiroku (1558-1570), who came out of the Kanetsune mon, and who is believed to be the father of Wakasa no Kami Ujifusa. As is noted in Nihon Toko Jiten-Koto Hen, "There are a number of persons named Kanefusa in addition to this one, and it is difficult to clearly distinguish between them. When the works themselves are taken into question, they are all the same." In this case the sugata points toward Tensho, though the mei is somewhat different than the example in Yumei Koto Taikan.

In Nihonto Meikan, the Tensho Kanefusa is noted to have produced juyo swords. Referencing Juyo Token Tobun Rui Mokuroku, an index of items that have been classified as juyo, it is noted that in volume 19 there is a katana, signed Noshu Seki Yoshiro Kanefusa Saku, which in the Tensho smith. There is one juyo by Kanefusa dated Eiroku juichi nen (1568) in volume 25; four juyo that are just signed nijimei in volumes 18, 24, 20, are katana, and 35 is a wakizashi. I do not have these volumes of Juyo Token Nado Zufu, so I am unable to check the dates. However, because they are grouped, rather than in a numerical progression, I would surmise that the Tensho Kanefusa is included in the block of 18, 19, & 24.

He is not listed in Nihon Toko Jiten - Koto Hen by Fujishiro, nor is he specifically mentioned in Toko Taikan, though a great deal of text is devoted to this group of smiths. He is rated with a double circle in Nihonto Meikan.

$7,800