Japanese Wakizashi Sword, Signed And Dated, Shirasaya And Nbthk Hozon Certificate - Muromashi Period

JAPAN - Late Edo period. Samurai wakizashi mounted in shirasaya style. A matching fushi and kashira in chased, patinated, and gilded copper; the kashira depicting a child waking Hotei, who was asleep on his bag of riches; the fushi decorated with a checkerboard pattern and a broom. A wooden tsuka covered with stingray skin and a blue silk braid. Menuki in chased, patinated, gilded, and silvered copper depicting cherry blossom branches. A wrought iron maru-gata, openwork, chased, and partially gilded, depicting a rider on a bridge above a dragon, signed "Motoka Soten Sei - Goshu Hikone Ju". A wooden saya covered in finely polished black and white shagreen. A chased, patinated, silvered, and gilded copper kozuka depicting two tigers on a nanako background. Two-part habaki, one part in shakudo (a type of Japanese finish), the other gilded and decorated with horizontal striations. Straight blade, regular, straight, and well-defined hamon (tang), the tang is pierced twice. It is signed "Sashu Namohira Yasuyoshi Saku" and dated "Entoku 3 (1491), Year of the Rat, auspicious day (kichijitsu)." Sold with stand, silk carrying case, and NBTHK Hozon Token certificate. 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: 7 x 64.5 x 6.5 cm. Blade length: 39.8 cm. Curvature (sori): 0.6 cm. Thickness (kasane): 0.54 cm. Weight: 270 g. Notes: The presence of a complete date on the blade is rare and gives it renewed historical interest.