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Osoraku Zukuri Tanto by Hizayoshi, Shinshinto.
"Hisayoshi was the best student of Hosokawa Masayoshi", himself trained by the great Shinshinto smith, Masahide. He was also a direct de
Very nice Tanto with a cutting edge of 10 3/4inches mounted in a very beautiful textured Koshirae..
Photos after restoration. Blade is in its 1st stage of polishing and awaiting final polish to bring out different zone and tone.
The fushi features a tiger and a dragon and the Kozuka (side knife is adorned with 5 playful ponies and signed by its maker.
The iron tsuba is craved with a very detailed dragon.
Overall length is 15 3/4 inches and is a very beautiful and yet mean looking Tanto.
This type of Tanto is rare and furthermore, with its elaborate mount was made for someone very prominent...probably a daimyo.
Shimada Sukemune, a smith who lived in Suruga Province (Modern Shizuoka) in the mid fifteen century, is said to have made the first Osuraku-zukuri Tanto . The name of this kind comes frome a famous Tanto forged by Shimada for Daimyo Katagiri Katsumoto. Shimada engraved the syllables" O So Ra Ku on the blade meaning "Perhaps"
This type of Tanto is characterized by its outsized kissaki (point section) and was very popular during the period of 16th to 18th century.
Price : NOT FOR SALE