
Jeff Olson
Director
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Sold for US$113,775 inc. premium
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Provenance
Nakagawa Hidenari (1570-1612), and thence by descent, till the Meiji era (purported)
It is believed that Kashū Sanekage was a student of Etchū Norishige. However, based on a review of extant dated works by Norishige from the Shōwa (1312-1317) and Gen'ō (1319-1321) eras, and those by Sanekage from the Jōji era (1362-1368), it appears that there is a too large a gap between the active periods of the two smiths for a master-student relationship. It is more likely that Sanekage was indirectly influenced by Norishige and his style. This blade shows a rather large structured and prominent itame that features plenty of jinie and much chikei. The steel is somewhat blackish and the hamon is a ni-laden ko-notare that is mixed with gunome, togariba, ko-ashi, some nie-kuzure, kinsuji, and plenty of sunagashi. The blackish steel in particular reflects the characteristics of northern blades (Hokkoku-mono), and with the prominent nie within the ha and habuchi and the rather subdued nioiguchi, an attribution to Kashū Sanekage is most appropriate. Both ji and ha are perfectly healthy and the deki is excellent, showing, as indicated, the characteristic features of this smith. This blade was an heirloom of the Nakagawa family, the daimyō of the Oka fief in Bungo province, during the Edo period.
Please note that this sword was designated as a Jūyō Tōken (Important Sword) no. 11638 as issued by the Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai (Society for the Preservation of the Japanese Art Sword) on October 9, 2003.