Katana attributed to Fuyuhiro 冬廣
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 €
