![A Gassan katana | Signed Naniwa ju Gassan Unryushi Sadakazu kore o seitan [forged by Gassan Unryushi Sadakazu, a resident of Osaka] and impressed mark Sada | Meiji period, dated Meiji nijuninen hachigatsu kichijitsu (an auspicious day in the 8th month, 1889)](https://dam.sothebys.com/dam/image/lot/2f02f4c8-3da3-4b32-bacc-8547cedb3df7/primary/extra_small)
![View full screen - View 1 of Lot 65. A Gassan katana | Signed Naniwa ju Gassan Unryushi Sadakazu kore o seitan [forged by Gassan Unryushi Sadakazu, a resident of Osaka] and impressed mark Sada | Meiji period, dated Meiji nijuninen hachigatsu kichijitsu (an auspicious day in the 8th month, 1889).](https://sothebys-md.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/caacb59/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1642x2000+0+0/resize/385x469!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsothebys-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fmedia-desk%2F7a%2Fbe%2F379c56874948960214de44b4ada9%2Fl23225-ckqlx-t1-01-group.jpg)
Property from an Important Private American Collection
A Gassan katana | Signed Naniwa ju Gassan Unryushi Sadakazu kore o seitan [forged by Gassan Unryushi Sadakazu, a resident of Osaka] and impressed mark Sada | Meiji period, dated Meiji nijuninen hachigatsu kichijitsu (an auspicious day in the 8th month, 1889)
Lot Closed
May 10, 02:04 PM GMT
Estimate
25,000 - 30,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
Property from an Important Private American Collection
A Gassan katana
Signed Naniwa ju Gassan Unryushi Sadakazu kore o seitan [forged by Gassan Unryushi Sadakazu, a resident of Osaka] and impressed mark Sada
Meiji period, dated Meiji yon nen hachigatsu kichijitsu (an auspicious day in the 4th year, 8th month, 1871)
Sugata [configuration]: Shinogi-zukuri, iori-mune, chu-kissaki, shallow torii-zori
Kitae [forging pattern]: Tight itame-hada
Hamon [tempering pattern]: Gunome-midare
Boshi [tip]: slight kaeri
Nakago [tang]: Ubu, one mekugi-ana, kurijiri, kessho yasurime, the omote signed Naniwa ju Gassan Unryushi Sadakazu kore o seitan [forged by Gassan Unryushi Sadakazu, a resident of Osaka] and impressed seal mark Sada, the ura dated Meiji yon-nen hachigatsu kichijitsu (an auspicious day in the 8th month, 1889)
Habaki [collar]: Silvered single-clad
Koshirae [mount]: decorated overall in alternating bands of black and red lacquer, iron fittings inlaid in gold and silver with cherry blossoms and scattered petals, gilt shakudo menuki in the form of horses, the circular iron sukashi tsuba with inlays of gold
Nagasa [length from kissaki to machi]: 65.2 cm., 25¾ in.
Sori [curvature]: 0.8 cm., ⅜ in.
Saki-haba [width at the yokote]: 2 cm., ⅝ in.
Moto-haba [width at the machi]: 3.1 cm., 1¼ in.
Accompanied by a certificate of registration as Tokubetsu Hozon Token [Sword Especially Worthy of Preservation], no. 1016111 issued by the Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai [Society for the Preservation of the Japanese Art Sword], dated Reiwa 3 (2021).
For an example of a katana mounted as a tachi by Gassan Sadakazu in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum (The V&A), accession number M.48:1, 2-1971, go to:
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O90838/sword-and-scabbard/
Gassan Sadakazu was born in 1836 and died in 1918 at the age of 84. In 1906 he was appointed Teishitsu Gige’in – Imperial Household Artist, one of only two swordsmiths ever honoured with this title.
The number four is normally written as one character and generally pronounced shi, which can also mean death. Here, the number is carved as double characters for ‘two’ to avoid any inauspicious associations.
