YASATSUGU I: AN IMPORTANT KATANA IN KOSHIRAE,... Lot n° 179

YASATSUGU I: AN IMPORTANT KATANA IN KOSHIRAE, WITH NBTHK HOZON TOKEN PAPER The blade by Yasutsugu I, the tang inscribed Nanban-tetsu o motte, Bushu ni oite (Yasutsugu) and with aoi mon Japan, early 17th century, late Momoyama (1573-1615) to early Edo period (1615-1868) The blade: The superbly forged blade with shinogi-zukuri and iori mune. The hamon is suguha with nie and nioi, the hada is itame. The nakago is suriage (shortened), with kuri jiri, and two mekugi-ana, the mei reads Nanban-tetsu o motte, Bushu ni oite (‘Made from Southern Barbarian steel, in Bushu Province’) and with an aoi (hollyhock) mon. The mounting: The gilt habaki with diagonal file marks and raised dew drops. The iron tsuba of oval form with two hitsu, finely carved in sukashibori and decorated in gold, silver, and copper takazogan with a design of warriors engaged in battle signed SOHEISHI NYUDO SOTEN sei (‘Made by Soheishi Soten, with the Nyudo title’). The shakudo fuchi-kashira with similar inlays also depicting warriors, the shakudo menuki with similar inlays depicting warriors on horseback. The tsuka with rayskin samegawa and dark-green silk tsuka-ito. The saya finely lacquered in black and golden brown with a wood grain pattern. NAGASA 68.2 cm, LENGTH 98 cm (total) Condition: Very good condition with minor surface wear to the blade and to the mounting, little ware and fukure, the tsuba and fuchi-kashira with tiny dents and minuscule nicks, minor tears to the tsuka-ito. Provenance: Czech private collection. This sword has been judged and attested by the NBTHK to be the Hozon Token (‘Worthy of Preservation’) rank. The NBTHK Hozon paper, no. 342985, dated 28 March Heisei 8 (1996), with a photograph of the tang and the seal of the NBTHK, with a registration stamp from the Educational Committee of Tokyo, no. 270320, registration date 2 February Heisei 7 (1995), issue date 1 June Heisei 8 (1996), accompanies this lot. This katana is by Yasutsugu I working in Edo where he was retained by the shoguns Tokugawa Ieyasu and Hidetada in the early seventeenth century. He received the privilege of the use of the character yasu in his name from Ieyasu, and also the right to carve the triple-hollyhock leaf crest of the Tokugawa clan. Both the first and second generations resided alternately in Echizen and Edo, and styled themselves Echizen Yasutsugu even when working in Edo. The inscription Nanban-tetsu o motte (‘Made from Southern Barbarian steel’), implies the use of imported steel. The Yasatsugu kanji characters are lost as the blade has been shortened. Auction comparison: Compare a related wakizashi in shirasaya by Yasutsugu I, also with aoi mon (hollyhock crest), dated to the early Edo period, at Christie’s, Important Swords from the Museum of Japanese Sword Fittings, 29 March 2005, New York, lot 37 ( sold for 90,000 USD).