An aikuchi tanto with ebi-kizami koshirae | Signed Iwato Minamoto Kiyotaka | Edo period, 19th century

Property from an American Collection

An aikuchi tanto with ebi-kizami koshirae [sword mount in the form of a crayfish]

Signed Iwato Minamoto Kiyotaka

Edo period, 19^th century 

Sugata [configuration]: Hira-zukuri, iori-muneKitae [forging pattern]: Ko-itame hada

Hamon [tempering pattern]: Gunome midare

Nakago [tang]: Kiri-jiri, one mekugi-ana, sujikai yasurime, signed Iwato Minamoto Kiyotaka, and dated Keio yonen haru (Spring, 1868)

Habaki [collar]: Silvered copper 

Koshirae [mount]: the ebi-kizami saya in red lacquer imitating the shelled body of a crayfish, the silvered kashira and kojiri carved also in the form of crayfish tails, the menuki of karashishi, the kurikata chased and engraved with a foliate design among stylised cloud scrolls, similarly decorated just above the kojiri, 41 cm., 16 in., long 

Nagasa [length from kissaki to machi]: 35.5 cm., 13¼ in.

Moto-haba [width at the machi]: 2.3 cm., 1 in.