JUYO TOKEN KATANA BY BIZEN CHIKAKAGE
Bizen Osafune Chikakage was the son of Chikatsune. He was the student of Nagamitsu and a contemporary of Bizen Kagemitsu . He has left dated works from spanning from the Bunpo era at the end of the Kamakura period to Teiwa in the beginning of the Nanbokucho era. By the western calendar this means between 1317 and 1345. He was almost exactly a contemporary of Kagemitsu, perhaps coming only slightly later. Interestingly, some of Kagemitsu's works bearing the Bunpo era dates appear to have been substitute signed by Chikakage , thus indicating that there was a very close relationship between these two smiths. For more information about this smith, please visit the following article, Chikakage.
This katana was designated as a Juyo Token (Important Sword) in 1967 at the fifteenth Juyo shinza. The nagasa is 65.9 cm or just under 26 inches. The sori is 1.8 cm or 11/16 inches. The moto-haba is 2.6 cm or just over one inch and the saki-haba is 1.75 cm or 11/16 inches. It is a graceful shinogi-zukuri shape as one would expect of this smith. The hada is ko-itame with much chikei. The hamon is choji-gunome with small ashi and yo. The boshi is notare-komi with a ko-maru turn back. This blade is truly beautiful with a slight utsuri reflecting the hamon.
Accompanying this blade is a fine koshirae of the late Edo period. The saya is a rich red lacquer and the tsuba is of the Higo school. The fuchi and kashira are iron with gold decorative designs of fern leaves and rope. The koshirae as a whole is very stately and beautiful.
PRICE: $42,500.00
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