Late Muromachi to early Edo period (~1596-1624).
Wakasa Province.

NBTHK Hozon certificate.

Fuyuhiro rank : Chujosaku
Yamada rank : Wazamono

A very fine, over 65 cm long, suriage blade in perfect condition, with no kizu (flaws), and in remarkable state of preservation. The Hamon in nie-deki is very active. In Gunome Midare form, it is interspersed with long Sunagashi, Kinsuji, and Ashi.
The Jigane is a beautiful and high-quality itame Hada design.
The Koshirae is very well crafted, featuring Shibuichi, Shakudo, and iron elements, with an ornithological theme. The Fuchi-Kashira parure is made of shibuichi lacquer decorated with herons and foliage in silver and shakudo lacquer with gilt accents. In Japanese culture, the heron symbolizes the journey of the human soul after death, between purgatory and rebirth. This beautiful parure is signed by Chihakuken Hiroyuki, a student of the Uchikoshi school who worked at the end of the Edo period.
The menuki are also made of shakudo lacquer, again featuring a bird motif, with a representation of what appears to be a phoenix.
The tsuba is made of iron, in the Heianjo style, and is also decorated with a gilt phoenix. It is signed in a stylized cursive script, which could be translated as « Yukihide. »
The saya is decorated with superb undulating black lacquer and a kojiri in shibuichi lacquer.

Dimensions:
Nagasa: 65.5 cm
Motohaba: 3 cm
Kasane: 0.62 cm

Fuyuhiro Shodai was the son of Soshu Hirotsugu, one of the most renowned swordsmiths in Soshu Province.
He settled in Wakasa around the mid-15th century and initially focused on forging swords in the pure Soshu Den tradition, one of the five great sword-making traditions known as Gokaden. However, he gradually incorporated the Bizen tradition into his work over time and as his craft evolved.

According to some historical records, the Fuyuhiro name was passed down through 17 generations, from the Muromachi period (~1460) to the end of the Edo period (~1868). These successive generations were thus able to preserve this ancestral knowledge which allowed them to maintain a serious reputation, particularly among high-ranking samurai and feudal lords during the famous period of war known as the Sengoku…

6500 €

Late Edo period.

Beautifully crafted in sukashi (openwork) depicting a Japanese bird called a chidori against a full moon in the background.

Dimensions: 71 x 68 mm. Thickness: 4.5 mm.

The Akao school was founded in the 18th century by Akao Yoshitsugu shodai, a samurai in the service of the Matsudaira clan, lords of Echizen province.
It was later transferred to Edo by his son, Yoshitsugu nidai, but the Echizen branch was nevertheless preserved.
The work of this school is characterized by openwork motifs influenced by the Kawaji and Kinai styles. The Akasaka style developed later within the Edo branch, where the positive silhouettes of natural or artificial objects are reduced to such conventional forms that they sometimes become unrecognizable.

450 €

Edo period.

Dimensions: 70.3 x 66.2 x 4.1 mm

570 €

Agyo is usually depicted with his mouth open and associated with the sound « ah, » the first sound of birth.

Edo period.

Dimensions :
Fuchi : 38,3 x 19,7 x 6,9 mm
Kashira : 34 x 19 mm

600 €

For two swords. Decorated with an openwork Mount Fuji. Contemporary yet beautifully crafted.
The wood is heavy and appears to be a precious wood, possibly ebony.

Width: 27.2 cm
Depth: 13.3 cm
Height: 25.8 cm

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This sword comes from the sixth generation of Masahiro, also known as Tsunahiro Yamamura.

He changed his name to Tsunahiro when he entered the service of Hōjō Ujitsuna of the Go-Hōjō clan, one of the most powerful warrior clans of the Sengoku period (1477-1573).

This signature is rare because it seems that the majority of his work was produced under the name Tsunahiro.

Muromachi period (~1532) – Koto
Sagami Province
Sue-Soshu School

Superb ubu (unshortened) blade, signed, in perfect condition, and crafted in a beautiful and rare sugata (shape) with a thickness that tapers towards the shinogi-ji on the omote side. High-quality horimono, shaped like grooves, are present on both sides of the first section of the blade.
The hamon is made of ko nie-deki with a beautiful Midare Hitatsura design, typical of this talented swordsmith’s work.
The jigane was forged from a fine itame with moku and ji-nie elements.
The koshirae dates from the Edo period and features primarily iron and copper elements depicting the Shishi lion.
The tsuba, also featuring the Shishi lion, is made of iron with a shakudo fukurin, an openwork design with gilt decoration.
The menuki are imposing and of very high quality, depicting two copper Shishi lions accompanied by gilt peonies. The kozuka is finely crafted in shakudo with a floral motif and gilt decoration.

NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Certificate

Fujishiro Grade (Prestige of the swordsmith) : Koto Josaku
Yamada Grade (Cutting power efficiency) : Ryowazamono

Blade Dimensions:
Nagasa: 53.5 cm
Motohaba: 3 cm
Motokasane: 6.5 mm
Sori: 1.2 cm

Sōshū-den refers to one of the five Japanese sword-making traditions known as « Gokaden » during the Koto period (late Heian to early Momoyama). It is distinguished by several leading swordsmiths in the history of Japanese swordmaking (Masamune, Sadamune, Go Yoshihiro, Kunimitsu, Kunihiro, etc.) and has inspired the greatest swordsmiths of all eras.
Masahiro (or Yamamura Tsunahiro) was considered the best and most influential swordsmith in Sue Soshu. He was active around the Tenmon era (1532-1555), and his first signature was « Masahiro, » which he changed to « Tsunahiro » when he worked for Hōjō Ujitsuna of the Go-Hōjō clan, one of the most powerful warrior clans of the Sengoku period (1477-1573).
As can be seen here, the quality of his work is remarkable. He also excelled in engraving, and many of his blades feature Horimono (carved decorations). This sword is therefore a perfect example of what Masahiro was capable of: a true work of art.

7200 €

Late Edo period
Soten and Nara/Omori schools

Sumptuous Koshirae (decorative ornaments) featuring warriors, Oni demons, and Shishi lions.
The tsuba (handguard) is signed by Sōheishi Nyudō Soten and depicts a scene of warriors sculpted in high relief. It is made of shakudo (wooden stone) with a fine and beautifully regular nanako-ji (wooden molding), gilding, and silver and copper inlays.
The Fuchi-Kashira (decorative ornament) is signed by Toshinaga, an artist of the Nara school. It is decorated with a representation of Shoki, a Japanese folktale recounting how the giant Shoki chases away the demons that haunt the dreams of Emperor Genso-Kotei. On the Fuchi, we see the demons, and on the Kashira, Shoki riding a lion. This lion is also featured on the Menuki (decorative ornament), a very fine piece of work in two colors: one in polished shakudo and the other in gold.
The Kozuka is an exceptional piece. Signed with the prestigious name of Chizuka Hisanori, it is of remarkable quality. The colors of the various metals are vibrant and deep, and the carving is exquisitely detailed.
Hisanori, also known as Bunji, born on March 7, 1725, and died on October 20, 1795, was the best student of the great Omori Teruhide, as well as a samurai in the service of Daimyo Matsudaira of the Moriyama clan. He worked primarily in the style of the Omori school, which he refined in certain aspects. He held the excellent rank of Joko in the Kinko Meikan.
As for the Saya, it is decorated with magnificent traditional urushi lacquer in vermilion and gold tones.

Dimensions (approximate) :
Total length = 70 cm
Tsunagi Nagasa = 45 cm
Tsunagi Motohaba = 3,2 cm
Tsunagi Sori = 1,4 cm

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Late Edo
Ichiryû – Mito school
Kinko Meikan rank : Ryoko / Joko

This beautiful katana-sized tsuba is made of shakudo embellished with gold and silver accents, on the theme of the unryu dragon.
The work is very fine and of high quality, with a beautiful relief and many details.

The Ichiryû school was founded by Hirano Ryôsuke, born in 1716, under the pseudonym « Ichiryû Tomoyoshi ».

Dimensions : 7,9 x 7,4 cm

2700 €

Early Edo – Kanbun Shinto – Owari Province
Owari Seki School

Mei / Signature :
Omote : Masatsune
Ura : February 1660

Massive and large blade of almost 80 cm (which is rare for this period), ubu, signed and dated.  Its state of preservation is particularly remarkable with its 9mm Kasane.
Very nice hamon made in a large suguha in ko nie deki not devoid of activity, where we can see some sunagashi and ashi.
The high quality kitae is made in a beautiful and regular ko-itame.

This gorgeous blade is accompagnied by a shirasaya with a sayagaki made by the expert Tanobe Tanzan, whose reputation is well known in the world of nihonto after a long career with the NBTHK.
Here is the exact translation of this sayagaki:
- Oshu (another name for the province of Owari)
- Nando Sasuke (customary name of the blacksmith)
- Masatsune (name of the blacksmith)
- 2 kanji characters, the date of February 1660.
- Fourth generation (But it can also be seen as the third since the life of the second Masatsune was very short-lived as he died before the first. So in fact the third can be seen as the second generation and the fourth the third).
- The length of the blade is particularly long and slightly curved, like a stick, and it has a robust appearance, a typical Shinto Kanbun shape.
- The Ji-gane has a slightly modified form of Itame-hada.
- Ashi and Yo (Nioi-kuzure) appear in the Suguha in Ko nie-deki.
- This is an excellent example of the skill of this smith.
- The length of the blade is 2 shaku 6 sun 2 bu (79.6cm).
- This is written in the month of plum observation in the year of the dog Boshin. (This is around March 2018).
- Tanzan (Tanobe, very well known and reputed in the nihonto world after his long career in the NBTHK).

A beautiful satsuma style koshirae, just as rare as the blade, is also attached. The various tosogu elements are made of solid silver with a patina and a beautiful iron tsuba of the same theme (nami).

NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon certificate

Fujishiro grade : Shinto Chujosaku

Dimensions :
Nagasa = 79,6 cm
Motohaba = 32,5 mm
Kasane = 9 mm
Sori = 1 cm

This prestigious school was founded by the blacksmiths of Seki in Mino who emigrated to Owari at the end of the Muromachi period to follow Oda Nobunaga.
Masatsune, also called Nando Sasuke, is the yondai (4th generation). He received the title of Mino no Kami in 1662, and died in the spring of 1689. Ten generations followed behind him…

14500 €

(This sword is on consignment. It belongs to a French collector.)

Edo period.

The tsuba is in shakudo, mokko-gata shape and of the waki-Goto school style, a branch of the famous Goto school. The patterns represent an unryu dragon in the clouds, flying over a raging sea.
The fuchi-kashira pair is in shakudo, of exemplary quality and great finesse, with some gold and copper inlays. The carving work is clean and precise, worthy of a master’s work.
The menuki, of excellent quality and also in shakudo, complete the whole thing with panache.
The great particularity of this koshirae is its saya which is embellished with a superb kojiri in shibuichi signed with the prestigious name of Ichijo of the Goto school. The work, of remarkable quality, represents an Unryu dragon crossing a cloud. The artistic style of this dragon is very detailed and of great originality with its long tapering claws and its rounded muzzle and frontal area of ​​the skull. The scales are also of controlled regularity and finesse.

Dimensions:
Total length = 92cm
Length of the saya = 68.5 cm
Koiguchi (inside) = 31.9 x 12 mm
Tsunagi nagasa = 58 cm
Tsunagi motohaba = 27.4mm
Tsunagi sori = 17.3mm
Length of the tsuka = ​​22.8 cm
Tsuka nakago ana (with fuchi) = 25.9 x 7.8 mm
Nakago ana depth = approx. 18 cm

4500 €