Samurai Tanto From The Maeda Clan, Nbthk Certificates For The Blade And Koshirae - Muromashi.

JAPAN - Late Muromashi period (16th century). Samurai tanto mounted in shirasaya style. FUSHI KASHIRA in patinated copper. TSUKA in brown lacquer encircled by a patinated copper ring decorated with MENUKI depicting coiled dragons. KOZUKA and KOGAI forming a baton in patinated and chased copper bearing the mon of the MAEDA clan against a geometric background. SAYA in brown lacquered wood (very minor chips), KOJIRI and KURIGATA in patinated copper. Simple habaki in gilt copper decorated with oblique striations. Straight blade, regular, straight, and well-defined hamon; the tang has one hole and is signed KANEFUSA. Sold with stand, silk carrying case, and two NBTHK certificates for the blade and kashirae. NBTHK, also known as Nihon Bijutsu Touken Hozon Kyokai (the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords), is one of the oldest Japanese sword evaluation organizations in modern Japan. Dimensions: 4.4 x 51 x 3 cm. Blade length: 34.7 cm. Curvature (sori): 0.4 cm. Weight: 235 g. Notes: Kanefusa is said to have been a student of Kanetsune and the father of Wakasa no Kami Ujifusa, but several swordsmiths bear the same name, making identification difficult. This piece is a highly elegant "sunnobi tanto" (sword sword) that testifies to the skill of the artisans of the period.