TANTO BY SHODAI SHIGETAKA
This is a very nice tanto by the first generation Echizen smith, Shigetaka. it is signed Harima Daijo Fujiwara Shigetaka on the obverse and Echizen Jyu on the reverse. It has a nagasa of 30.6 cm or 12.04 inches. The sori is 0.45 cm or 0.17 inches. The width at the hamachi is 2.92 cm or 1.14 inches. The hada is a strong itame hada with ji nie. The hamon is done in nie and is in shguha and ko-gunome midare. There are many ashi gently resting inthe ha.
The obverse has horimono of dokko and suken while the reverse has bonji. These horimono are polished down giving the blade a feeling of great age. At first glance this blade reminds us of the works of Nobukuni of the Yamashiro School during the Nanbokucho era. I suspect that this blade was made by Shigetaka as a homage to Nobukuni (utsushi mono).
Harima Daijo Shigetaka belonged to the Echizen School of Shinto swordsmiths. His works closely resemble those of the first generation Yasutsugu of the Echizen School. Shigetaka worked around the Kanei era (1624) and is also said to have spent some time working in Tobu. He is ranked as a chu-josaku smith and his swords are rated as wazamono (superior cutting ability). There were many generations of smiths by this name and they continued producing swords well into the Shinshinto Era.
This tanto comes in a shirasaya with a silver habaki. It has NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers attesting to the validity of the signature and the quality of the blade.
PRICE: $ 4,650.00.
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