Katana mumei, Shimada Hirosuke

Late Muromachi Period (1392-1573), circa 1550-60

NBTHK Hozon Tōken

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Nagasa [length]: 67.9 cm

Sori [curvature]: 2.1 cm

Motohaba [bottom width]: 3.2 cm

i [top width]: 2.5 cm

Motokasane [bottom thickness]: 6 mm

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Sugata [configuration]: Shinogi-zukuri, iori-mune, deep sori, ō-kissaki

Kitae [forging pattern]: Ko-itame hada mixed with ko-mokume hada

Hamon [tempering pattern]: Ko-gunome midare in nie-deki

Boshi [point]: Notarekomi with hakikake

Nakago [tang]: Ubu, kurijiri; three mekugi-ana

Horimono [carving]: Bo-hi on both sides

Origami [paper]: The blade comes with a Hozon Tōken (Sword Worth of Preserving) certificate issued by the Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai.

Koshirae [mounts]: The sword is accompanied by a good antique koshirae with high level fittings: an iron tsuba with gold and silver zogan, gold dragons on menuki, fuchi kashira, kozuka and kogai.

The Shimada school, founded by Yoshisuke, flourished in Shimada of Suruga Province from the middle of the Muromachi Period. The smith name of Yoshisuke was used by many generations and succeeded until the Edo Period. Yoshisuke tempered notare mixed with gunome, o-notare, gunome-midare, ko-midare and sugu-ha. His workmanship resembles to that of the Sue-Seki and the Sengo schools and sometimes includes a hitatsura similar to that of Sue-Soshu smiths.

Hirosuke was a student of the 3rd Yoshisuke and is considered one of the best representative smiths of the Shimada school. He often made swords with a wide mi-haba and elongated kissaki, which look like works from the Nanbokuchō Period.

The Nihontokoza records Hirosuke as working around the Kōji era (1555-1558).