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

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”).

Artwork Details

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

By 乙柳軒政信 Otsuryūken Masanobu

By Yokoyama Kōzukedaijō Sukesada

In the same medium

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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*)
Yokoyama Kōzukedaijō Sukesada
乙柳軒政信 Otsuryūken Masanobu
blades, 17th century; mountings, early 19th century

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*)
Yokoyama Kōzukedaijō Sukesada
乙柳軒政信 Otsuryūken Masanobu
blade, 17th century; mounting, early 19th century

Blade for a Sword (<i>Katana</i>) with Mounting (<i>Shikomizue</i>), Yokoyama Kōzukedaijō Sukesada Japanese, Steel, wood, cherry-blossom bark, brass, lacquer, Japanese — Blade for a Sword (*Katana*) with Mounting (*Shikomizue*)
Yokoyama Kōzukedaijō Sukesada
blade, dated February 1677; mounting, 19th 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)
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