American Powder Horns

This is a Shinto period blade with a 16 inch cutting edge in flawless condition. It is mumei and has not been shortened. The hamon is a very flamboyant, erratically wavy line extending to the mid point of the blades width in many areas. There is a lot of activity in the blade itself. The menuki are superb main line Goto pieces in shakudo and gold and in excellent shape. The fuchi and kashira are shakudo with an etched mon in the kashira. The handle wrap is a very high grade formal cotton wrap in excellent condition. The tsuba is a very attractive gold inlaid iron with a depiction of a young boy. The black saya is in tact with a high grade black lacquer but missing some of the horn pieces ( restorable ).

This is a slender blade of 13 & 1/16 inches in length with a thin suguha hamon. A deep groove  is cut the entire length on each side, ( horimono ) going into the ubu nakago. The nakago is signed with three characters which I believe represent Minamoto Mori Masa…

This sword was mounted in WWII mounts and under the leather cover is the original black saya. It now has a black silk wrapped handle and Edo style tsuba. The blade is a cut down tachi or katana, shortened about 6 inches and has a nice wavey hamon with nie and sunagashi, etc. The blade is now 19 & 3/8 inches along the cutting edge. It came from a veterans widow, Gwen McVaney from Southington, Ct. with a Japanese  “meatball” flag with a prayer and hope for victory inscribed on it by the sword’s owner.

This blade has a beautiful Gunomi midare hamon and the tang shows that it has been shortened an inch or so during it’s lifetime. When shortened,  part of the last character of the signature is gone, but it is still identifiable as; Taira Kagemori, Bungo province, Eiroku period (1558-1570) and listed in Hawleys as KAG 84.  The blade has some light rust but displays a strong hamon with a lot of activity. The cutting edge is 15 inches long and it is housed in a black ribbed  saya with nice  matching kurikata,  tsuba ,  fuchi & kashira and a gold foiled habaki.

This is a Tensho period wakizashi ( 1573 ) with a slightly wavey suguha hamon.The blade has been awarded Nippon-to Kantei-sho papers listing the sword smith as; Fuji Shima  of Kaga province which today is called Ishikawa. Mounts are wicker style black saya with kodzuka pocket containing a kodzuka with Budhist septor and dragon design. The tsuba is open work with flowers and birds and the menuki are Budhist septors. The fuchi and kashira are speckled gold color. The blade is 16 inches along the cutting edge and has a wood grain hada. Each side of the blade has horimono one of a short wide groove, the other side with two short narrow grooves. It is in new polish. Listed in Hawley’s as FUJ27, 15 points.  

This wakizashi is stored in a beautifully carved shira saya and is signed by the maker; Minamoto Kuni Yoshi. The blade is very unique as it has two sides finished completely different from one another. One side of the blade, mei side, has 1 Wide and 1 narrow long groove the entire length of the blade. The other side has two short grooves, 1 wide and 1 narrow and a sanscrit character in the middle of the blade. The hamon has wide billowing semi-circles with a lot of activity. Each side of the blade displays different kissaki as well as blade surface construction This may be a result of a sword smith contest or sample of his sword making techniques.The blade length along the cutting edge is 16 inches.  More research on the history of the blade will follow.

This sword is housed in shirasaya and is freshly polished. It’s original family mounts from the early Edo period accompany the sword as well as the silk storage bag. The blade is signed on the tang; Yamato Daijo Fujiwara Sadayuki. He is listed in Hawleys, SAD878 as the 2nd generation working in 1658-1681, Bungo Province, Takada school.. The blade is in excellent polish with a straight ( suguha ) hamon and has a cutting edge of 22.5 inches         ( 57.1cm ). Kantei-sho papers came with the sword verifying the signature as genuine and the sword as important work.

This is a beautifully tempered blade with a Gunome-midare hamon with a lot of activity and is o-suriage ( cut down ) to 26 & 3/8 inches along the cutting edge. It is housed in a maroon speckled saya with black kanji characters, a sukashi tsuba with zig zag geometric design. Black silk wrapped handle, crane menuki, brass fuchi & kashira and a silver habaki.  This sword probably dates to the Eisho period ( 1500’s ).

This sword is mounted in World War II Shin-gunto  mounts with a brown saya. The blade is 24 & 5/16 inches along the cutting edge and is in decent polish with light scratches. It has a good suguha hamon and a silver habaki. It is signed on the tang ” Mori Mitsu Saku”. He is listed in Hawleys as MOR721, Echizen Kanatsu Group and dates around 1505.

This is a traditionally mounted blade in black Saya, wonderful open work tsuba of warriors gambling ( signed ) and matching , signed, fuchi & kashira. There is a Kodzuka in the saya pocket as well. The blade is in new polish and has been awarded Shintei-sho papers from the NBTHK which assigns the blade to sword smith SHIMOSAKA, Etchizen province, Genroku period ( 1651 – 1709 ). The blade is 21 & 7/8 inches along the cutting edge and has a wide suguha hamon. The Tsuba inscription reads; Nyodu Soten Sei , Soheishi, which means that the tsuba was made by a famous smith with the Buddhist art name Soten with the personal name ( first name ) Soheishi. This smith lived in the city of Hikone, Omi province. The Fuchi and Kashira were also made by Soten. The fuchi translates as; Goshu Hikone Ju Soheishi Soten. ” made by the smith art name Soten with the personal name Soheishi while living ( Ju ) in the province Omi in the town of Hikone”.  From the Ed Hollenbeck collection.