Katana in Shirasaya with Koshirae (NBTHK Hozon Paper)(Consignment sale)

Signature: Gisuke

The blade was polished.
Blade length : 70.59 cm or 27.79 inches.
Sori : 1.5 cm or 0.59 inches.
Mekugi: 4
Width at the hamachi : 3.13 cm or 1.23 inches.
Width at the Kissaki : 2.25 cm or 0.88 inches.
Kasane : 0.56 cm or 0.22 inches.
Era : Around Keicho era.(about 1596)
Shape : This blade is rather wide Katana with long Kissaki. Nakago is Matichokuri.
Jitetsu : Itame works very well. It’s beautiful Jitetsu.
Unfortunately there are a few flaws.
Hamon : Rather tight Suguha.

Special feature : Gisuke was a swordsmith of Shimada school in Sunshu province.
Shimada school was swordsmith group that continued from around
Bun-an era(1444) to Shinto age.
Especially, Gisuke and Sukemune and Hirosuke were famous in Shimada school.
Shimada school blade’s are similar to Sue-Soshu blades.
And it’s said that Gisuke studied under Soshu Masamune.
Shimada school provided Imagawa clan and Takeda clan and Hojo clan.
Some Gisuke’s blades are similar to high rank Soshu blades.
There are 4 generations Gisuke only in Muromachi period, and it is difficult to discern which generation.
The oldest Gisuke’s blade has Nenki “Eisho 2nen”(1505)

Gisuke is difficult to discriminate which generation.
But I think this blade was made in around Keicho era .(around 1596).
Unfortunately there are a few flaws.
On the Shirasaya, there are a few cracks.

Historical background: The Siege of Osaka was a series of battles in 1614 and 1615, undertaken by the Tokugawa shogunate against the Toyotomi clan.
In these battle, Tokugawa shogunate annihilated Toyotomi clan.

Koshirae :
Tsuba : Tatemaru shaped iron Tsuba, plants design openwork is engraved.
Fuchikashira : On the Oboro-Gin plate, dragon is painted.
Saya : On the black colored Saya, Sakura petal is painted with Raden (shell decoration).
Menuki : On the Shakudo plate, some design is engraved with gold color.

 

NBTHK Hozon Paper
Aoi Art estimation paper : whole Oshigata.