Kunisuke Wakizashi
S0520
Reference only
The Land of The Rising Sun Kunisuke wakizashi. Shinogizukure, iroi mune, chukissaki, ubu, mumei, two mekugiana. Hawatare: 1 shaku 4 sun 2 bu (43.03 cm or 16.94"). Motohaba: 3.1 cm. Sakihaba: 2.4 cm. Kasane: 7.77 mm. Very bright habuchi. Florid choji midare, junka choji, kobushigata (fist shape) choji, tobiyaki, ashi, yo, nado. The jigane is a tight itame with ko-nie sprinkled throughout, nado. There is a rising sun in the kissaki,. The boshi is maru with an extend kaeri. NBTHK Tokubetsu Kicho certificate from 1972, to godai Kunisuke. Since there are four recorded generations, of Kawachi no Kami, that would place it as 4th or perhaps 3rd generation, as they were reluctant to say which. Mounted in shirasaya with wooden habaki.
From the third century, Japan was called Wa, by the Chinese, meaning dwarf or submissive. Japanese scribes found the identification offensive, and took the kanji for Wa, and preceded it with the kanji Dai, great. Thus making it Yamato, great peaceful or harmonious. In 607, Prince Shotoku sent a letter the the Sui emperor, Yandi, "From The Son of Heaven in the land where the sun rises to the Son of Heaven in the land where the sun sets". The earliest Chinese reference to Nihon, is in the book of Tang, in 703, Japanese envoys requested that the country be referred to as Nihon (literally the origin of the sun), It is believed that usage of Nihon took place in Japan between 655 and 703.
Though likely earlier, the earliest recorded imperial use of the sun disk was by Emperor Kanmu 735 - 806.
To get further into this, Izanami no Mikoto and Izanagi no Mikoto, had a divine child Amaterasu no Mikami, the Sun Goddess. She had multiple children, one of whom was Ninigi. The legendary first emperor of Japan, Jimmu, was Ninigi's grandson. The emperor Jimmu (660 BC to 585 BC) ruled Japan by divine right. Thus the importance of the sun disk.
NBTHK Tokubetsu Kicho certificate July 8, 1972
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