Osoraku Tanto
S0239
SOLD
An ubu osoraku tanto attributed to Ujifusa. Iroi mune, o kissaki. Hawatare: 9 sun 2 bu (27.9 cm. / 10.98"). Motohaba: 2.45 cm. Sakihaba: 2.49 cm. Kasane: 6.7 mm. The hamon is notare midare in ko nie deki, small togare. The kissaki becomes gunome notare midare with tobiyaki, jizo boshi and long kaeri. The jigane is itame nagare with a rough appearance. There is a thin tate ware in the kissaki. The ubu nakago has a fanciful niji mei Muramasa, probably added due to the mirror image of hamon on either side of the blade. Kanteisho from the 1983 shinsa, held in Dallas, Texas, conducted my Fukunaga Suiken, Shibata Mitsuo, and John Yumoto. He is rated with a double circle in the Nihonto Meikan,; Chujo Saku in Nihon Toko Jiten - Koto Hen with a sharpness rating of Wazamono, by Fujishiro; and valued at 6,500,000 yen in Toko Taikan, by Tokuno. Mounted in shirasaya with accompanying koshirae and sword bags. Although this is clean, it would benefit from a new polish.
The tsuka has multi-string black ito, sentoku fuchi-kashira with horses in katakiribori, the menuki are gilt pine needles. The tsuba is iron mokugata with horses and a riding crop in gold and silver nunome. The saya is red ishime with horn fittings. There is a pocket for a kozuka.
Mino Ujifusa worked around Genki (1570 -1573), and was the last of the koto Mino Ujifusa. He was the son of Kanefusa, and there is some question about whether he worked under that name before moving to Wakasa and taking the name Ujifus.
A great piece for the new collector, martial artist, decorator, or someone who would invest in better polish.
The very thin tate ware in the kissaki, and a scuff below it.