
Jeff Olson
Director
This auction has ended. View lot details





Sold for US$44,475 inc. premium
Our Japanese Art specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.
Find your local specialist
Director

Specialist
Provenance
Col. Dean S. Hartley, Jr. Collection
Published
Nihontō Bizen-den Taikan, p. 78
Exhibited
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, on temporary loan and display, 2014
The sayagaki was written by Honma Junji while he was in the United States, visiting the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Col. Hartley assisted Dr. Honma with his examination of the museum's collection of over 500 swords.
The sword was awarded a Tokubetsu Kichō Tōken (Especially Previous Sword) certificate # 95039, issued by the Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai (Society for the Preservation of the Japanese Art Sword) on March 5, 1965, with Dr Honma chairing the shinsa team. It was later designated as a Jūyō Tōken (Important Sword) no. 4117 issued by the Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyokai in February, 1973. Both sets of papers have now been lost.