Blade and Mounting for a Short Sword (Wakizashi)

Blade inscribed by Yokoyama Kōzukedaijō Sukesada Japanese
 Fittings inscribed by 乙柳軒政信 Otsuryūken Masanobu Japanese

Not on view

This is the short sword (wakizashi) of a pair of swords (daishō) which is mounted with a matching set of fittings depicting insects and plants that are traditionally associated with fall in Japan. The fittings were made by Otsuryūken Masanobu (乙柳軒政信, 1773–?), who was the fourth generation of the Hamano (浜野) School. Some fittings are inscribed with the supplements “made at the age of sixty-two” and “made at the age of sixty-three,” demonstrating the lengthy time it took the artist to produce the full set. The lower parts of the scabbard are lacquered by implementing broad brush strokes, a technique that is referred to as seikaiha-nuri (lit. “blue waves lacquer”).

Blade and Mounting for a Short Sword (Wakizashi), Blade inscribed by Yokoyama Kōzukedaijō Sukesada (Japanese, 1627–1716), Steel, wood, lacquer, ray skin (samé), thread, copper-gold alloy (shakudō), copper, gold, copper-silver alloy (shibuichi), iron, Japanese

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Front

Blade and Mounting for a Short Sword (Wakizashi), Blade inscribed by Yokoyama Kōzukedaijō Sukesada (Japanese, 1627–1716), Steel, wood, lacquer, ray skin (samé), thread, copper-gold alloy (shakudō), copper, gold, copper-silver alloy (shibuichi), iron, Japanese
Blade and Mounting for a Short Sword (Wakizashi), Blade inscribed by Yokoyama Kōzukedaijō Sukesada (Japanese, 1627–1716), Steel, wood, lacquer, ray skin (samé), thread, copper-gold alloy (shakudō), copper, gold, copper-silver alloy (shibuichi), iron, Japanese

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