Yamashiro Nobukuni Tanto
S0223
SOLD
New on the market: A Yamashiro (Nobu)kuni tanto carried by a Satsuma samurai. Hirazukure, mitsu mune, slight uchizori, excellent bohi and futatsubi. Hawatare: 9 sun 6 bu (29.09 cm / 11.45"). Motohaba: 2.25 cm. Kasane: 4.4 mm. Hosho suguba ko-midare, even habuchi, some ko gunome and ashi. Omaru boshi, with medium kaeri. Itame jigane, some slight roughness. Ubu nakago, signed niji mei, the first kanji illegible; four mekugiana, one filled with lead. Mounted in shirasaya with gold foil habaki decorated with the Satsuma mon. The Kuni, with a squiggle in the left and three strokes in the right rules out first and second generations as possibilities. Hawley lists ten generations, four of whom worked in Oei, and the Meikan lists seventeen. I have only been able to reference four of the of the smiths, first, second, third, and fourth. So I can not pin it down. Judging from the habaki, whoever owned this was well to do and very proud of it.
This came from a small auction that appears to have been handling a collector's estate, as the several tanto in there seemed to be of a piece; all clean, all in shirasaya, none with papers. I bought this reasonably, and I am not going to do anything with it, so it is priced to move -- at about the cost of the habaki.
Satsuma Ju Mon