Hideaki Katana
S0230
SOLD
My fat figures and rush to post did it again. I hit a 6 instead of a 5, the price has been corrected from $6,500 to $5,500.
Just out of the woodwork, a rare gendaito by Hideaki, who later changed his name to Horii Toshihide. There were many tanto made from the Mikasa, but few daito. Signed, Motte Gunkan Mikasa Ho Hagane Hideaki / Showa Go Nen Shinshun Jitsu. Made with Battleship Mikasa cannon steel. A day in the New Year fifth nen of Showa (1930). Shinogizukure, iroi mune, chu kissaki. Hawatare: 2 shaku 2 sun 1 bu (67 cm / 26.38"). Motohaba: 2.78 cm. Sakihaba: 1.76 cm. Kasane: 6.2 mm. Soft nioi habuchi, gunome notare midare, choji, one tobiyaki, long ashi iri, small kinsuji, nado. Tight itame, slight nagare, nado. The boshi is ko maru with medium kaeri. Ubu zaimei nakago, one mekugiana. Mounted in older shirasaya with military habaki. His work is pictured in Slough's Modern Japanese Swordsmiths 1868 - 1945, a rating of chu saku in Fujishiro's Nihon Toko Jiten - Shinto Hen, valued in Tokuno's Toko Taikan at 2,800,000 yen. No damage or flaws, but needs polish. The staining is superficial, it does not eat into the steel.
Horii Toshihide is one of the preeminent Showa period smiths. He took the name Kaneaki in May of Meiji 38 (1905), changing it to Hideaki in April of Taisho 2 (1913), and finally took the name Toshihide in Showa 8 (1933). He dropped the Aki kanji, because the new born prince Akihito used the same kanji in his name. He also signed some swords with a single kanji, Hide. He forged swords at the Muroran Steel Works, and was especially skilled in nie tsuki chojiba. He oversaw the making of swords and daggers made from a gun barrel of the battleship Mikasa.
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