K71. O-suriage, mumei wakizashi mounted with dragons.

Nagasa: 19 1/8″ 48.5 cm.

Sori: 1.3 cm.

Moto haba: 2.8 cm.

Moto kasane: .6 cm.

Saki haba: 1.9 cm.

Saki kasane: .4 cm.

Nakago nagasa: 5 5/8″ 14.5 cm.

Overall in koshirae: 27 1/2″ 69.7 cm.

Shinogi zukuri, chu kissaki, iore mune, bo hi running through the nakago. Itame with mokume hada; the hamon is complex, variations on choji including crab claw choji, with sunagashi and other hataraki, worked in a bright nioi-guchi covered in ko-nie. There is midre utsuri. The boshi is a continuation of the hamon, ending in ko-maru and a very short kaeri. I am convinced that this is Bizen Den Koto sword but exactly when and by whom I’m not qualified to say. The blade is in polish and apart from a few minor instances of coarse grain, it is without defects. Mounted with a fine double gold foil habaki in koshirae; there is a shira-saya with tsunagi also.

The koshirae is in mint condition. The kotsuka, kogai, menuki, and fuchi/kashira all are dragons; the carving on the kogatana is a dragon also. When it came to the tsuba, the dragons took the day off. The kotsuka and kogai are somewhat unusual, being worked in copper rather than shakudo. The kogatana has been poished. The saya is black lacquer and flawless. The sword in koshirae wiill come with a silk? brocade bag; the shira-saya in a simpler bag.

This is a very nice set and the blade will get a paper, should the new owner decide to submit it. 3 pounds, 3 ounces. $3,050.