N120. A katana signed Bitchu no Kuni Asabe no Ju Tameiye.

Nagasa: 28 3/16″ 71.5 cm.

Sori: .9 cm.

Moto haba: 3 cm.

Moto kasane: .6 cm.

Saki haba: 1.8 cm.

Saki kasane: 1.4 cm.

Nakago nagasa: 7 7/8″ 19.8 cm.

Overall length in shirasaya: 40 1/8″ 101.5 cm.

The hamon is based on suguba with areas of ko choji midare and shallow notare overall, worked in a wide and bright nioi guchi with sunagashi and kinsuji sprinkled with the finest ko-nie. The boshi is swept with o maru and a long kaeri (muneyaki). Very tight ko itame hada with a whitish utsuri like mistiness above the hamon. There are instances of coarser grain, which look more prominent in my pictures than they do in life. The sugata is spot on for a later 17th century (Kanbun Shinto) blade. Mounted with a gold foil habaki and in shira saya with saya-gaki (I don’t know who did the saya-gaki).

This blade comes with 2 papers: one I’m told is an early Yushu paper (not the same as Yushu Saku) from the NTHK dated 1975 and I have just been told that the other, dated 2010, is from Mr. Fujishiro. I suppose it is possible that he did the polish?

Other than for the mentioned grain there is nothing with this sword to warn you of: no chips in the edge, no shintetsu, no blisters, nothing. The polish is intact and the shirasaya is in fine shape. Nice piece. 2 Pounds, 8 ounces. Was 5,750, now 4,950.