Important Japanese Swords and Armour from the Paul L. Davidson Collection
Important Japanese Swords and Armour from the Paul L. Davidson Collection
Lot closes
07:51:04
•
March 25, 03:09 PM GMT
Estimate
35,000 - 40,000 USD
Starting Bid
35,000 USD
We may charge or debit your saved payment method subject to the terms set out in our Conditions of Business for Buyers.
Read more.Lot Details
Description
A katana
Attributed to the Ko Mihara School
Nambokucho period, 14th century
Sugata [configuration]: shinogi-zukuri, iori mune, mihaba is wide, with a fair amount of curvature, o-kissaki
Kitae [forging pattern]: mokume mixed in itame, nagare here and there, with ji-nie, chikei is inserted, with a little utsuri appearing
Hamon [tempering pattern]: suguha, with a slight amount of ashi, yubashiri here and there, an uchinoke style applied, with ko-nie
Boshi [tip]: ko-maru in suguha
Horimono [carvings]: bohi kakinagasu on the omote and ura
Nakago [tang]: o-suriage, the saki is kiri, the yasurime is sujikai, no nakago sori, three mekugi-ana, unsigned
Habaki [collar]: double clad, gold on copper
In shirasaya [plain wood scabbard]
Nagasa [length from kissaki to machi]: 71.6 cm., 28¼ in.
Sori [curvature]: 1.5 cm., ½ in.
Saki-haba [width at the yokote]: 2.3 cm., ⅞ in.
Moto-haba [width at the machi]: 3.1 cm., 1¼ in.
Kissaki length: 5.3 cm., 2⅛ in.
Nakago length: 23.2 cm., 9⅛ in.
Accompanied by a certificate of registration as Juyo Token [Important Sword], no. 8087 issued by the Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai [Society for the Preservation of the Japanese Art Sword], dated Showa 62 (1987).
Art of the Samurai: The Paul L. Davidson Collection (New York, 2023), p. 28.
Ko-Mihara [lit. Old Mihara] is the term used for the smiths that flourished in the province of Bingo during the late Kamakura (1185–1333) and Nambokucho (1336-1392) periods. Renowned smiths include Masaie, Masahiro, Masamitsu, Masakiyo and Masanobu. The workmanship of these smiths show strong Yamato characteristics, with blades typically forged in a flowing style (nagare) when the jigane is in a wood grain pattern (itame) and tempered in suguha, a straight tempering pattern running parallel with the sword's edge.
Here, consistent with works dating to the Nambokucho period, the blade's width (mihaba) is wide and the point elongated (o-kissaki). Ko-Mihara school features are discernible in the nagare that appears in the surface in places, the yubashiri and uchinoke style applied to the suguha tempering pattern, and the small rounded ko-maru saki in the boshi.
