Q859. Tanto signed Masashige.

Nagasa:  10 13/16″  27.5 cm.

Sori:  1.5 cm.

Moto haba:  2.4 cm.

Moto kasane:  .6 cm.

Nakago nagasa:  3 5/8″  9.3 cm.

Overall in shira saya:  16 3/4″  42.5 cm.

Hira zukuri, slight saki sori, iore mune. The hada is ko itame with mokume elements and a fine flowing masame. The hamon is a gentle notare with box shaped areas that reach almost to the edge, with abundant and various hataraki, all in a bright nioi guchi covered in ko and ara nie. The boshi is a continuation of the hamon ending in a pointed kaeri that returns about 3 cm down the mune. The hamon is identical from side to side (as expected from this school. Other than a few insignificant pin pricks the blade is flawless. My pictures show every inch of the blade at least twice; the 1st picture is this tanto’s mei next to an oshigata from Yumei Koto Taikan. It is in a professional polish, mounted with a solid silver habaki, and in shirasaya, all in great condition. Included also is the Torokuso: the tanto’s Japanese license that should have been surrendered at export but, for whatever reason, wasn’t.

This tanto comes with two papers from the NBTHK: Tokubetsu Kicho from 1971 and Hozon from 2023. Masashige (Jo Jo Saku ranking in Fujishiro’s Nihon Toko Jiten) was the top student and possibly the son of Sengo Muramasa, the smith from the beginning of the 16th century who had a terrible reputation with later, Edo period Tokugawa Shogun. As I understand the story, supposedly one Tokugawa family member was badly cut by a Muramasa sword and another lost his life to a Muramasa sword. Consequently, it was forbidden to own swords by Muramasa and many were destroyed. Work by him and his school are uncommon and highly collectible.

And speaking of collecting, this is a great opportunity. If you purchase this tanto and a Tokugawa comes knocking at your door, I’ll put in a good word for you.  1 pound. $6,250.