Suishinshi Masahide

Description

Katana by Suishinshi Masahide (Kawabe Gihachirō), smith to the Akimoto clan and founding figure of the shinshintō movement, active in Musashi. The blade is shinogi-zukuri with iori-mune and chū-kissaki, with a nagasa of 69.6 cm and a sori of 1.8 cm. According to the certificate, the jihada is a tightly knit ko-itame with thick ji-nie and chikei; the hamon starts in suguha yakidashi and continues in ō-gunome mixed with notare in tōran style, with broad ashi, abundant nie, kinsuji and sunagashi and a bright nioiguchi, in the manner of the Sukehiro copies the smith pursued in his early period; the bōshi is a gentle notare with ko-maru and long kaeri. The nakago is ubu with kurijiri, ō-sujikai yasurime with keshō and a single mekugi-ana; it bears the five-character signature with kaō on the omote and the date on the ura. Designated Jūyō Tōken by the NBTHK at the 61st session (2015). It comes with a koshirae the original seller describes as a period mounting of careful workmanship: a togidashi saya with crushed shell under black lacquer and iron fittings inlaid in gold and coloured metals with gourds and rain dragons. The photographs also show the wrapped tsuka, the iron tsuba and a shirasaya.