Awataguchi Ōmi no Kami Tadatsuna
粟田口近江守忠綱 (Awataguchi Ōmi no Kami Tadatsuna)
Lineage: the signature does not state the generation
Line of Osaka swordsmiths in Settsu, father and son of the Asai family, active from the mid-17th to the early 18th century.
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A line of swordsmiths working in Osaka, Settsu province, from the Asai family. The name Awataguchi reflects the family's claimed descent from Awataguchi Kunitsuna (粟田口国綱), a Kyoto smith of the early Kamakura period. The first of the line settled in Osaka in the mid-17th century and received the title Ōmi no Kami. His son, born in 1644, succeeded him around the Enpō era, was granted the same title and around the Genroku era took the name Ikkanshi (一竿子); his dated works run from 1672 to 1716. The son began with a chōji hamon with long ashi and later worked in notare and wave patterns in the manner of Sukehiro and Shinkai. He carved his own horimono, such as dragons, plum trees or waterfalls, and recorded this on the tang with hori dōsaku (彫同作). The father's work is plainer in shape and seldom carved. Since both signed with the title, the signature alone does not always tell which of them made a blade. A tachi by the son dated 1709 is held by the Kyoto National Museum.
Swords available
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Awataguchi Ōmi no Kami Tadatsuna
Second generation Tadatsuna, the smith known as Ikkanshi, on a Kanbun-era blade with an ubu tang and a single mekugi-ana. With koshirae and shirasaya. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon. Katana by the second generation of Awataguchi Ōmi no Kami Tadatsuna, the smith known as Ikkanshi and one of the great names of Osaka. The blade belongs to the Kanbun era (1661-1673) and measures 71.0 cm nagasa with 1.3 cm sori; the motohaba is 2.97 cm. The original seller points out a useful detail of the signature: when Tadatsuna carves no horimono he signs “Ōmi no Kami Tadatsuna” rather than “Ikkanshi”, which is the case on this tang, so the blade bears no carving. The temper is a gunome-chōji with ashi reaching well into the edge. The tang is ubu and retains a single mekugi-ana. It is sold with koshirae and shirasaya, and with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers.
60.2/100
€12,310
