A Mino Shizu Katana

Nanbokucho Period (CIRCA 1340), With inlaid signature Kaneuji

Details

A Mino Shizu Katana
Nanbokucho Period (CIRCA 1340), With inlaid signature Kaneuji
Configuration (sugata): with longitudinal ridge line, shallow peaked back and medium point; length (nagasa): 2 shaku, 2 sun, 9.5 bu (incorrectly entered as 3 bu on the sayagaki) (69.7cm.); curvature (sori): very shallow koshi-zori of 0.9 cm.; increase in width of blade (fumbari): 0.6 cm.; carving (horimono): two narrow grooves on each side, terminating in pointed and squared ends and deep inside the tang. Forging pattern (jihada): wood grain intermixed with masame and dusted with some scattered ji-nie. Tempering pattern (hamon): undulations mixed with some ko-notare in nie; centered mainly in the area near the monouchi are areas of 'swept sands' elsewhere there are 'legs' (ashi) and yo. Point (boshi): small and rounded with some hakikake. Tang (nakago). Shape (keitai): o-suriage; file marks (yasurime): slanted (katte-sagari); end (nakagojiri): squared (kirijiri); holes (mekugi-ana): three; signature (mei): gold inlay (kin-zogan), Kaneuji; on the reverse, Chokon (Sugawara Chokon Kiwame) with kao.

Shirasaya with attestation signed Kunzan (Homma Junji) and Iga Norishige.

Accompanied by a juyo token certificate issued by the N.B.T.H.K., dated Showa 50 (1975)

Provenance

Dr. Walter Ames Compton
Previously sold in these Rooms, 31 March 1992, lot 284

Literature

Juyo token to zufu, vol. 23.
One Hundred Masterpieces (1992), no. 35.

Brought to you by

Takaaki Murakami

tmurakami@christies.com +1 212 636 2158

Lot Essay

Kaneuji was originally a student of the Yamato Tegai school, but later became a student of Soshu Masamune and changed the Kane in his name to another kanji (Chinese character) with the same pronunciation. After his move to the Mino village of Shizu, he became known as Shizu Kaneuji.

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