Blade and Mounting for a Dagger (Tantō)
The blade's tang has been altered, and the maker's name abbreviated. The signature is undoubtedly that of Kagemasa, a master of the Osafune school during the late Kamakura period. The scabbard, decorated with cherry blossoms, is a good example of nineteenth-century lacquer work.
Artwork Details
- Title: Blade and Mounting for a Dagger (Tantō)
- Swordsmith: Blade probably inscribed by Kage[masa] (Japanese, Osafune, Bizen Province, active early 14th century)
- Fittings maker: Chape and knife handle inscribed by Masaharu (Japanese, active 19th century)
- Date: blade, dated 1322; mounting, 19th century
- Geography: Osafune, Bizen Province (present-day Okayama Prefecture)
- Culture: Japanese
- Medium: Steel, wood, lacquer, copper-gold alloy (shakudō), silver, gold
- Dimensions: L. 14 3/4 in. (37.4 cm); L. of blade 14 in. (35.5 cm); L. of cutting edge 10 1/16 in. (25.5 cm)
- Classification: Daggers
- Credit Line: Gift of J. Watson Webb Jr., 1972
- Object Number: 1972.12
- Curatorial Department: Arms and Armor
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