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Blade and Mounting for a Short Sword (Wakizashi)

Swordsmith Blade inscribed by Yokoyama Kōzukedaijō Sukesada Japanese
Fittings maker Fittings inscribed by 乙柳軒政信 Otsuryūken Masanobu Japanese
blade, late 17th century; mounting, 19th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 378
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”).

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Blade and Mounting for a Short Sword (Wakizashi)
  • Swordsmith: Blade inscribed by Yokoyama Kōzukedaijō Sukesada (Japanese, 1627–1716)
  • Fittings maker: Fittings inscribed by 乙柳軒政信 Otsuryūken Masanobu (Japanese, born 1773)
  • Date: blade, late 17th century; mounting, 19th century
  • Culture: Japanese
  • Medium: Steel, wood, lacquer, ray skin (samé), thread, copper-gold alloy (shakudō), copper, gold, copper-silver alloy (shibuichi), iron
  • Dimensions: L. 27 1/16 in. (68.7 cm); L. of blade 23 5/8 in. (60 cm); L. of cutting edge 17 3/4 in.(45.1 cm); D. of curvature 3/8 in. (0.9 cm); L. of knife (kozuka) 8 1/2 in. (21.6 cm); L. of hair dressing tool (kogai) 8 1/4 in. (21.0 cm)
  • Classification: Swords
  • Credit Line: The Howard Mansfield Collection, Gift of Howard Mansfield, 1936
  • Object Number: 36.120.420a–d
  • Curatorial Department: Arms and Armor

More Artwork

More Artwork
虫尽金具大小拵 Blade and Mounting for a Sword (<i>Katana</i>), Yokoyama Kōzukedaijō Sukesada Japanese, Steel, wood, lacquer, copper-gold alloy (<i>shakudō</i>), gold, copper-silver alloy (<i>shibuichi</i>), ray skin (<i>same</i>), silk, Japanese
虫尽金具大小拵 Blade and Mounting for a Sword (Katana)
Swordsmith Blade inscribed by Yokoyama Kōzukedaijō Sukesada
Fittings maker Fittings inscribed by 乙柳軒政信 Otsuryūken Masanobu
blade, 17th century; mounting, early 19th century
Blades and Mountings for a Pair of Swords (<i>Daishō</i>), Yokoyama Kōzukedaijō Sukesada Japanese, Steel, wood, lacquer, copper-gold alloy (<i>shakudō</i>), gold, copper-silver alloy (<i>shibuichi</i>), ray skin (<i>same</i>), silk, Japanese
Blades and Mountings for a Pair of Swords (Daishō)
Swordsmith Blades inscribed by Yokoyama Kōzukedaijō Sukesada
Fittings maker Fittings inscribed by 乙柳軒政信 Otsuryūken Masanobu
blades, 17th century; mountings, early 19th century
Helmet (<i>Zukinnari Kabuto</i>), Iron, lacquer, Japanese
Helmet (Zukinnari Kabuto)
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Blades and Mountings for a Pair of Swords (Daishō), Naotane Taikei Japanese, Steel, wood, lacquer, rayskin, silk, iron, copper-gold alloy (shakudō), copper, gold, silver, copper-silver alloy (shibuichi), Japanese
Blades and Mountings for a Pair of Swords (Daishō)
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Decorator Engraving on blades attributed to Honjō Yoshitane
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