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Blades and Mountings for a Pair of Swords (Daishō)

Swordsmith Long sword (katana) blade inscribed by Sukemitsu of Bizen Japanese
Swordsmith Short sword (wakizashi) blade attributed to Yasumitsu Japanese
Fittings maker Set of sword mountings by Iwamoto Konkan Japanese
sword (katana) blade, dated 1440; short sword (wakizashi) blade, 15th century; mountings, late 18th century
Not on view
This is the only known complete set of daishō mountings by Iwamoto Konkan, one of the most famous makers of sword fittings in the eighteenth century. The artist's inscription identifies the patron as Iwata Takanori and the design as the Six Tama Rivers.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Blades and Mountings for a Pair of Swords (Daishō)
  • Swordsmith: Long sword (katana) blade inscribed by Sukemitsu of Bizen (Japanese, Bizen, Muromachi period, active ca. 1440)
  • Swordsmith: Short sword (wakizashi) blade attributed to Yasumitsu (Japanese, Muromachi period, 15th century)
  • Fittings maker: Set of sword mountings by Iwamoto Konkan (Japanese, Edo period, 1744–1801)
  • Date: sword (katana) blade, dated 1440; short sword (wakizashi) blade, 15th century; mountings, late 18th century
  • Culture: Japanese
  • Medium: Steel, wood, lacquer, copper-silver alloy (shibuichi), gold, copper, rayskin, silk
  • Dimensions: L. of sword (katana) 34 1/8 in. (86.7 cm); L. of sword (katana) blade 25 1/4 in. (64.1 cm); L. of sword (katana) scabbard 28 1/4 in. (71.8 cm); L. of short sword (wakizashi) 26 in. (66.0 cm); L. of short sword (wakizashi) blade 20 3/4 in. (52.7 cm); L. of short sword (wakizashi) scabbard 19 3/4 in. (50.2 cm); L. of knife (kozuka) for short sword (wakizashi) mounting 8 3/4 in. (22.2 cm)
  • Classification: Swords
  • Credit Line: The Howard Mansfield Collection, Gift of Howard Mansfield, 1936
  • Object Number: 36.120.417a, b, .418a–c
  • Curatorial Department: Arms and Armor

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Blade and Mounting for a Sword (Katana), Sukemitsu of Bizen Japanese, Steel, wood, lacquer, ray skin (samé), thread, copper-gold alloy (shakudō), copper-silver alloy (shibuichi), Japanese
Blade and Mounting for a Sword (Katana)
Sukemitsu of Bizen
Iwamoto Konkan
blade, dated 1440; mounting, late 18th century
Blade and Mounting for a Short Sword (Wakizashi), Yasumitsu Japanese, Steel, wood, lacquer, ray skin (samé); thread, copper-gold alloy (shakudō), copper-silver alloy (shibuichi), Japanese
Blade and Mounting for a Short Sword (Wakizashi)
Yasumitsu
Iwamoto Konkan
blade, 15th century; mounting, late 18th century
Blade for a Double-Edged Sword (<i>Ken</i>), Steel, Japanese
Blade for a Double-Edged Sword (Ken)
Japanese
5th century
Sword Guard (Tsuba), Omori Hidenaga Japanese, Copper-gold alloy (shakudō), gold, copper, silver, Japanese
Sword Guard (Tsuba)
Omori Hidenaga
18th century
Sword Guard (Tsuba), Iron, copper, Japanese
Sword Guard (Tsuba)
Japanese
late 14th century

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