Katana - Suketaka - NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Certificate - Uchigatana/Shirasaya Koshirae - Ubu Nakago - Gendai Era - Kochi 14914

This piece is a very well-preserved Meiji era katana with a certificate of authenticity of Tokubetsu Hozon by the Society for Preservation of Japanese Art Swords.

The jigane is a well-polished itame, and the hamon is a nioideki komidare, with fine choji, and in some places, a fukuro choji. There are also some sakasa choji, making it a highlight of the area. On the nakago, “Bishu Ju Suketaka Saku” is engraved on the sashiomote side and “Meiji Sanen Nigatsubi” on the sashiura side, indicating that it was made in February of the 3rd year of Meiji by a Suketaka from Bizen Province (now Okayama Prefecture).

Suketaka was one of the swordsmiths of the Bizen Osafune school, who is said to have been active from the Muromachi period to the end of the Edo period. He is a descendant of the Osafune school, and was one of the swordsmiths who brilliantly decorated the end of the Osafune, and also presented many excellent swords to the Bizen Ikeda family.

In August 2024, the Society for Preservation of Japanese Art Swords recognized this work as a sword of very high value to be preserved for posterity, and issued a certificate of recognition as a tokubetsu hozon (sword of the highest quality).

The Uchigatana koshirae has a beautifully lacquered scabbard with a scattering of Aogai(inlaid mother-of-pearl), and the tsuka is wrapped with a cowhide tsukaito in the style of a tsumami-maki.

This piece is truly a wonderful Japanese sword, not only for decoration but also as an iai sword.

• Blade length: 69.4 cm
• Curvature: 1.5 cm
• Number of Mekugi hole: 1
• Sakihaba: 20.9 mm
• Sakikasane: 4.5 mm
• Motohaba: 32.8 mm
• Motokasane: 6.6 mm
• Signature: Bishu ju Suketaka Saku(front), Meiji San-nen Nigatsu-bi(back)
• Era: Gendai
• Structure: Shinogi-zukuri, Iori-mune
• Jigane: Itame
• Hamon: Ko-midare
• Boshi: Midarekonde Nakamaru ni Kaeru
• Weight: 800 g(blade only)/1,050 g(without Saya)
• Nakago: Ubu
  
• Koshirae: Brown leather wrapped Tsuka with Aogai-lacquered Saya/Shirasaya
• Original Registration No.: Kochi 14914

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