説明
Antique Japanese Sword Katana Signed by Chounsai Tsunatoshi with NBTHK
Tokubetsu Hozon
Certificate
【Description】
This blade was signed by Chounsai Tsunatoshi(長運斎綱俊) in Feb, the 5th year of the Kaei era (1852).
Tsunatoshi was born in 1798 in Yonezawa city, Hashu province (Yamagata prefecture) as the third son of Izumi no Kami Kunihide(和泉守国英). His family name was Kato, and he was the younger brother of Kato Tsunahide (加藤綱英). Tsunatoshi’s real name was Kato Hachiro.
Tsunatoshi served Yonezawa Uesugi clan, a powerful feudal lord in today’s Yamagata prefecture.
During his early career, he moved to Edo city to learn superb sword-forging techniques from Suishinshi Masahide, one of the most renowned swordsmiths at the end of the Edo period.
There is also a record of him forging swords in Osaka and Kumamoto while his base was in Azabu town in Edo city (Today’s Tokyo).
He settled in Edo city around 1823, and he created most of his work. He started to run his school there and resided in the house of Uesugi family. It is said that he received a stipend from them. He received the honorable title Chounsai (長運斎) in the first year of the Bunka era (1854). And, he gave this title to his son Koretoshi (the second-gen Tsunatoshi) in 1856, and he got the new title Chojyusai (長寿斎). Chojyu means living a long life in Japanese.
The school Tsunatoshi belonged to flourished at the end of the Edo period, training many sw
ordsmiths who later became historically significant ones, such as
Koyama Munetsugu
, Takahashi Naganobu, Ishido Korekazu. Tsunatoshi excelled at forging Bizen-Den tradition swords with Choji Midare Hamon, an irregular, wavy tempering line. You can see this characteristic in this blade as well. Most of Tsunatoshi’s work reflects Bizen Den (One of the Five Japanese sword-forging traditions). In terms of Bizen Den tradition swords, it is said that Tsunatoshi school surpassed Suishinshi Masahide school.
Tsunatoshi died at the age of 66 in December 1863 after creating many great swords for high-class Samurais in Edo city. He is categorized as one of the top-tier swordsmiths during the late Edo period (SHIN SHIN TO era). And, he was the head of the prosperous school at the end of the Edo period.
This blade is appraised as a
Tokubetsu Hozon Token
(特別保存刀剣) issued by NBTHK(Nihon Bijutsu Touken Hozon Kyokai:日本美術刀剣保存協会). This authentication paper was only given to authentic Japanese swords, especially well preserved and high quality with artistic value.
【 Blade】
Cutting Edge Length(Nagasa)
:
71.2 cm( 28.0 inches)
Curvature(Sori)
:
2.2 cm( 0.86 inches)
Hamon
:
The crystalline structure which forms along the cutting edge of a blade as a result of the hardening process
Jimon(Jihada)
:
visible steel surface pattern created by folding and hammering during forging process
Nakago
:
Nakago is the tang of the Japanese sword.
Japanese swordsmit
hs left the black rust on the tang because it prevents red rust while the tang is in its handle. And the discoloration of the tang was created over time, and it is a great indicator for a Japanese sword specialist to estimate when the sword was forged.
Koshirae:
Koshirae is the mounting of the Japanese sword. There are several parts that consist of Koshirae such as Saya(Scabbard), Tsuka(Handle), Tsuba(Handguard).
Fuchi-Kashira
:
A pair of matching sword fittings that cover the upper and bottom parts of its sword hilt.
The principal motif of this Fuchi Kashira is a kind of bird. It might be a kind of the Onaga-Dori (尾長鳥) or the Suzaku (朱雀). The Onaga-Dori pattern is an abstracted design of a bird; it contains pheasant, mountain bird, wagtail, magpie, etcetra. The Suzaku is a fantasy bird, and it is a guardian god of the south. This bird belongs to the Shijin (四神, four gods who control four directions).
Tsuka and Menuki
:
Tsuka is the handle of the Japanese sword and Menuki is its decoration.
The dragon is the motif of this Menuki. As Seiryu (青龍, also called Seiryou) is also a member of the Shijin (please read Fuchi K
