Daido Tanto & Aiguchi Koshirae

S0332

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An elegantly mounted tanto signed nijimei, Daido.  9 sun 3 bu (28.18 cm / 11.09").  Motohaba: 2.66 cm.  Kasane: 7 mm.  Hirazukure, iroi mune, uchizori, ubu nakago, one mekugiana.   Suguba ko-midare, deep habuchi.  Tempered in fine ko-nie, small kinsuji and sunagashi.  The konie is so fine that at first, it could be mistaken for nioideki.  The jigane is hadatatsu itame mixed with masame with ayasugi along the edge.  There is profuse chikei, nado.  the boshi is a slightly pointed chumaru, with an extended kaeri. One piece gold foil habaki.  Mounted in shirasaya with accompanying koshirae.  NBTHK Hozon kanteisho.

Mounted as an aiguchi, the saya is gold nishiji, with horn koiguchi.   The tsuka is a white multiple string tsukamaki, the menuki are shakudo and gold horses.   The kozuka is deep black shakudo nanako with gold kirimon.  The hand woven sageo has additional braiding that I have not seen before.

Alternately listed as Daido and Omichi, these were a group of Mino smiths, working in Seki, Tanshu, and Tango during the koto period, and Noshu and Mino during shinto times.   Most of whom were clustered around Kambun (1661 -1673),  a couple from Kanei (1624 -1644).  There appears to be several independent lineages working in the same area.      As with any group, there is varying skill in the production.  Toko Taikan rates them from 2,000,000 to 4,500,000  yen.  The Nihonto Meikan, lists four koto smiths, one of whom is especially precious, and fourteen shinto smiths, two of whom are especially precious.   While I do not know which specific smith this is, I believe that the uchizori would argue for koto.            

New information:  Published in Bushido magazine - Vol. 2, number 4, April 1981, page 27.

NBTHK Hozon Kanteisho

Bushido Magazine - Vol. 2, number 4, April 1981, page 27.

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