Blade and Mounting for a Dagger (Tantō)

blade, 16th century; mounting, 19th century

Not on view

This mounting for a dagger (tantō) featured a silver-clad scabbard and hilt which show a design of fish and turtles moving on top of waves, with a catfish peeking through an opening at the end of the pomel. The maker, Takamoto Hidemune (高本秀宗, 1819–1887) was a student of Tanaka Kiyotoshi (田中着寿, 1804–1876), a self-taught Edo-based rtist who went on to establish one of the largest and most mportant schools of sword-fitting making in Japanese hstory.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Title: Blade and Mounting for a Dagger (Tantō)
Date: blade, 16th century; mounting, 19th century
Culture: Japanese
Medium: Steel, wood, lacquer, copper-silver alloy (shibuichi), gold, silver, copper, copper-gold alloy (shakudō)
Dimensions: L. 16 13/16 in. (42.7 cm); L. of blade 14 15/16 in. (37.9 cm); L. of cutting edge 10 11/16 in. (27.1 cm); D. of curvature 1/16 in. (1 mm)
Classification: Daggers
Credit Line: Gift of Brayton Ives and W. T. Walters, 1891
Object Number: 91.2.36
Curatorial Department: Arms and Armor

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