Antique Japanese Wakizashi, signed "Sesshū-jū Izumi no Kami Kuni…" (摂州住和泉守国—), suriage — attributed to Izumi no Kami Kunisada ("Oya-Kunisada") — early Edo period (Shintō), Settsu (Osaka) — in a period koshirae with a Mt. Fuji kozuka, plus shirasaya

Suriage, signed wakizashi strongly attributed to the Osaka-shintō giant Izumi no Kami Kunisada · exquisitely packed itame with ji-nie · a bright, wide ō-midare/gunome temper with kinsuji and sunagashi · in a black-lacquer mounting with an auspicious Fuji-and-boar theme

A fine piece of Settsu province symbolizing the flowering of the early-Edo shintō period. A top-grade blade in which an exquisitely packed ground and a bright, lucid temper harmonize beautifully, accompanied by a flavorful period mounting with a fitted kozuka — a work of high appreciation value in both blade and mounting.

Workmanship and condition

Freshly polished, the blade is exceptionally sound. The jigane is an itame forged extremely tight, its fine grain delicately clothed in ji-nie — a very smooth, limpid steel in which the forging clarity peculiar to the shintō-era Settsu smiths stands out. The hamon is a generous, broad temper of ō-midare mixed with gunome. The temper edge is extremely bright and clear, letting one fully savor the charm of a nie-deki temper; fine sunagashi and kinsuji run from the boundary into the edge, and together with the depth of the nioiguchi they create points of interest in every direction.

Form

Solid in both mihaba and kasane, with a moderate sori and rich hiraniku, the blade presents a powerful figure. The tang (nakago) is neatly cut with the signature Sesshū-jū Izumi no Kami Kuni…, though its lower portion has unfortunately been lost to later shortening (suriage). Even so, this work is strongly judged to be from the hand of Izumi no Kami Kunisada, one of the foremost masters of the shintō era.

On the smith — Izumi no Kami Kunisada

A legendary master who worked in the early Edo period (Kan'ei–Kanbun eras) in Settsu province (present-day Osaka), the greatest center of new-sword making. Born in Hyūga province (Miyazaki), he is said to have gone to Kyoto and studied under Dewa Daijō Kuniji of the Mishina school, later moving to Osaka; in Genna 9 (1623) he received the honorary title Izumi no Kami. The first-generation Kunisada, known under the name Izumi no Kami Kunisada, is affectionately called Oya-Kunisada ("parent Kunisada") by collectors for his overwhelming forging skill and artistic refinement, and is very highly esteemed as the real father (and teacher) of the later great master Tsuda Echizen no Kami Sukehiro — the "western yokozuna of the shintō". His style, fusing the refined Yamashiro-tradition beauty of the ground with a Sōshū-tradition strength of nie, laid the foundation of Osaka shintō, and works by this giant have always commanded exceptional popularity and standing in the sword market to this day.

The koshirae

A fine period mounting: a beautiful jet-black lacquer saya, an elaborately worked hilt wrap and tsuba, and a kozuka that combines utility with ornament. Among the fittings, the kozuka bears Mt. Fuji — Japan's supreme sacred peak, an auspicious emblem tied to fuji ("without a second") and fushi ("immortality / everlasting prosperity") — while the menuki that adorn the hilt take the form of a boar (inoshishi), a motif beloved of the samurai for its headlong charge, signifying good health and valor. It is a deeply flavorful mounting uniting practicality, decoration, and the owner's wishes. The seppa and copper habaki are likewise very carefully made, further setting off the dignity of the blade. A shirasaya, indispensable for careful keeping, is also included, completing the piece as a collection item.

Though the signature is a shortened (suriage) one, this is an outstanding blade into which the skill and aesthetic of the Osaka-shintō giant Kunisada were lavishly poured. Together with an auspicious period koshirae woven of Mt. Fuji and boar, it is a masterpiece that will shine on forever as the crown of your collection.

Specifications

• Type: Wakizashi (shinogi-zukuri), suriage
• Signature (mei): "Sesshū-jū Izumi no Kami Kuni…" (摂州住和泉守国—), lower portion lost to later shortening; attributed to Izumi no Kami Kunisada
• Certification: none (attributed to Izumi no Kami Kunisada)
• Period: Early Edo period (shintō), Kan'ei–Kanbun era
• Smith / school: Izumi no Kami Kunisada ("Oya-Kunisada"), 1st generation — Settsu (Osaka); founder of the Osaka-shintō tradition
• Jigane: very tightly packed itame with fine ji-nie; smooth and clear
• Hamon: broad ō-midare mixed with gunome, nie-deki, with bright habuchi, sunagashi and kinsuji
• Blade length (nagasa): 50 cm / 19.69 in (about 1 shaku 6 sun 5 bu)
• Curvature (sori): 0.5 cm
• Width at base (motohaba): 30.2 mm
• Thickness at base (motokasane): 6.8 mm
• Width at tip (sakihaba): 21.5 mm
• Thickness at tip (sakikasane): 5.3 mm
• Weight (blade only): 530 g
• Weight (without scabbard): 740 g
• Condition: freshly polished, very sound
• Mounting: black-lacquer period koshirae — worked tsuba and hilt wrap, kozuka with Mt. Fuji design, boar menuki, copper habaki with seppa; shirasaya also included
• Torokushō (Japanese registration) No.: Nagano 13046