A Bizen katana | Attributed to Motoshige with kimpun mei [attestation in gold inlay] and with attestation Hon’a (Hon’ami Koson, 1879-1955) and kao [cursive monogram] | Nambokucho period, 14th century

UK: Greenford Park Warehouse

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November 5, 01:49 PM GMT

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Lot Details

Description

The Property of a Gentleman

A Bizen katana

Attributed to Motoshige with kimpun mei [attestation in gold inlay] and with attestation Hon’a (Hon’ami Koson, 1879-1955) and kao [cursive monogram]

Nambokucho period, 14^th century

Sugata [configuration]: broad shinogi-zukuri, iori-mune, wide mihaba, no noticeable taper, thick kasane, shallow curvature, o-kissaki

Kitae [forging pattern]: pronounced itame mixed with mokume and nagare, with jifu, ji-nie, and an utsuri

Hamon [tempering pattern]: mainly consisting of an angular and a kataochi-gunome-cho in ko-nie-deki that partially slants, mixed with ashi, yo, and a few kinsuji and sunagashi

Boshi [tip]: midare-komi with a small rounded turnback and a few hakikake

Horimono [carvings]: grooves on both sides that runs as kaki-nagashi into the tang

Nakago [tang]: o-suriage, kirijiri, kiri-yasurime, three mekugi-ana, both sides bear a kinpun-mei attribution

Habaki [collar]: chased and engraved copper-gilt, double clad

In shirasaya plain wood scabbard]

Nagasa [length from kissaki to machi]: 71 cm., 28 in.

Sori [curvature]: 1.6 cm., ⅝ in.

Saki-haba [width at the yokote]: 2.7 cm., 1 in.

Moto-haba [width at the machi]: 3.3 cm., 1⅜ in.

Kissaki-nagasa [length of the tip]: 7.3 cm., 2⅞ in.

Nakago-nagasa [length of the tang]: 17.1 cm., 6¾ in., very little curvature in the tang

Accompanied by a certificate of registration as Juyo Token [Important Sword], no. 8769 issued by the Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai [Society for the Preservation of the Japanese Art Sword], dated Heisei 2 (1990).

This is an o-suriage mumei katana that comes with an origami attestation by Hon’ami Kochu (died 1725) dated to 3rd year of the Shotoku era (1713), which attributes the blade to Motoshige. Hon’ami Koson (1879-1955) also added his appraisal to the same smith via a kinpun-mei inscription on the tang.

Motoshige was a Bizen smith who was active from the end of the Kamakura

to the Nanbokucho period (1185-1392) and belonged to a different lineage from Kanemitsu (active circa 1321-1368) or Chogi (active circa 1336-1392). Extant dated works range from the Showa (1312-1317) to the Joji (1362-1368) eras, giving rise to the theory that there were possibly two generations of the Motoshige line. Blades by Motoshige display conventional dimensions of the period and Kamakura style shapes with broad width (mihaba) and long tips (o-kissaki), and can be described as a powerful blade that reflects the typical configuration (sugata) of the Nanbokucho period.

Compared with Osafune main line works from that time, Motoshige’s jiba features jifu and is mixed with nagare-masame, the tempering pattern shows

prominent slanting saka-ashi and yo, and the boshi a pointed turnback with discernible Aoe school elements in the jiba.

The origami attestation by Hon’ami Kochu has been translated as:

Motoshige from Bizen Province.

Authentic, blade length 71 cm.

Grooves on both sides, shortened and thus unsigned.

Value: 15 gold coins.

Shotoku 3 (1713), Year of the Snake,

3^rd day in the 8^th month, Hon’a and kao [cursive monogram].

Bizen no Kuni Motoshige

Shoshin, nagasa ni-shaku san-sun yon-bu yo

hyori hi tadashi suriage mumei nari.

Dai-kinsu jugo-mai