説明
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ITEM# UJKA326 –
Catalogue 31
– Sold
A Tsunatoshi Katana
(米澤士長運齋綱俊造之)
First-generation master swordsmith
Chôunsai Tsunatoshi
was born Katô Hachirô, a student of grandmaster
Suishinshi Masahide
– just as his father
Katô Kunihide
had been before him. Tsunatoshi moved to Edo during the
Bunsei
era (1818-1830) where he served in the residence of the
Uesugi family
, the daimyô of Yonezawa domain, carrying the honorary title
Chôunsai
. He is ranked Jo-saku by Fujishiro – a superior swordsmith – and this katana is a fine testament to why.
This remarkable and rare katana was commissioned by samurai
Mimura Tadashi
, a retainer of the Kaizu fief, which was controlled by the
Takasu-Matsudaira
branch of the ruling Tokugawa family. The
ubu-nakago
carries a lengthy inscription recording the commission in full: crafted by Chôunsai Tsunatoshi, retained by the Yonezawa fief, completed in February 1843 – the Year of the Hare. On the reverse, Mimura Tadashi had the characters
Hôkoku no Tanshin
boldly chiselled as a declaration of his loyalty and patriotism for the Tokugawa family. A sword with a story.
The blade itself is wide and formidable, weighing nearly one kilogram with a thick
kasane
(spine) – densely forged in
nioi-deki
with a beautifully active
gunome-choji-midare hamon
punctuated by tobiyaki, kinsuji, and sunagashi. A long bo-higroove with
maru-dome
runs the length of the blade, meeting the
yokote
at the tip. The boshi is a flowing
hakikake midare-komi
. Tsunatoshi forged blades so tightly packed that the surface grain approaches the mirror-like finish known as
muji-hada
– this example is no exception. The sword comes fitted in an impressive Edo
uchigatana-koshirae
lacquered in black with a wrinkled leather-like textured saya, and is balanced with an imposing
mokko-gata
iron tsuba signed by Tanba province metalsmith Sadamasa.
Item Number
UJKA326
Sword Type
Katana
Swordsmith
Chôunsai Tsunatoshi (shodai – first generation)
Swordsmith (JP)
米澤士長運齋綱俊
Signature
Yonez
