Gassan Sadakatsu Katana

[Shamsy]

I am very reluctantly considering the sale of my beautiful katana by the national treasure Gassan Sadakatsu. I don't think I'd want to risk shipping internationally so just Australia please. I'm also only gauging interest at this point, so no promises. I'd not be selling if there weren't good reasons.

Perfect polish
Two tiny areas of ware, one in the ji and one on the mune
Papered
Shirasaya
Solid silver habaki

$15,000AUD (postage included) ONO because I need a quick sale

If you must use PayPal add 3%. I have references as honest on the board.

[Greg F]

A Beautiful sword with sharp lines and nice hamon and hada. I like it a lot but too broke to buy unfortunately. A very nice Gassan indeed. When was it made?

 

Greg

[charlie1]

Don't blame you for not wanting to ship that beauty internationally. Something really good must have come up to let that one go.

 

Charlie

[Keichodo]

The text states it is a sword by Gassan Sadakazu but the title and the photo relate to Gassan Sadakatsu...so you might want to clear up this discrepancy....Nonetheless, it is a fine sword....

 

Best,

 

Robert

[Shamsy]

A Beautiful sword with sharp lines and nice hamon and hada. I like it a lot but too broke to buy unfortunately. A very nice Gassan indeed. When was it made?

 

Greg

 

Thanks Greg. The sword was made in 1941, two years before he passed.

 

Ive also corrected the typo. That's why I dislike using a tablet sometimes.

[David Flynn]

I don't believe Sadakatsu was a national treasure.  However, his son was.

[Shamsy]

Ah, rookie errors. Gassan Sadakazu was declared a Teshitsu Gigei in 1906. I'm afraid I'm getting confused with the notes I've made during research.

[DirkO]

Actually he was appointed teishitsu-gigei ́in (帝室技芸員) in Meiji 39 (明治) -> 1906

[cisco-san]

from Markus book:

 

SADAKAZU (貞一), Genji (元治, 1864-1865), Settsu – “Gassan Unryūshi Sadakazu” (月山雲龍子貞一), “Naniwa ni oite Kinpō-jōhen Gassan Sadakazu kore o tsukuru” (於浪花金宝城辺月山貞一造之), “Gassan Sadakazu” (月山貞一), “Gassan Hayato Minamoto Sadakazu tsukuru” (月山隼人源貞一造), “Naniwa-jū Gassan Unryūshi Minamoto Sadakazu” (浪華住月山雲龍子源貞一), “Naniwa-jū Gassan Yagorō Sadakazu seitan hori-dōsaku” (浪華住月山弥五 郎貞一精鍛彫同作, “carefully forged and carvings engraved by Gassan Yagorō Sadakazu from Naniwa”), “Dainippon Gassan Sadakazu horimono-dōsaku” (大日本月山貞一彫物同作), real name Gassan Yagorō (月山弥五郎), he was born in the second month of Tenpō seven (天保, 1836) in the village of Sugoshi (須越) in Ōmi´s Inugami district (犬上), he was adopted by Gassan Sadayoshi (貞吉) at the age of seven and was appointed teishitsu-gigei´in (帝室技芸員) in Meiji 39 (明治, 1906), this rank was about the predecessor of the modern ningen-kokuhō and Sadakazu was besides of Miyamoto Kanenori (宮本包則) the only swordsmith who held this important rank, his gō were Kōkensai (光顕斎), Unryūshi (雲龍子), and Suiyūshi (水勇子), he died on July 11th 1918 at the age of 84, we know dated blades from the third year of Kaei (嘉永, 1850) – he was 15 years old at that time – until his year of death in 1918, that means he was about 70 years active as a swordsmith, he mastered all traditions and is considered together with Honjō Yoshitane (本荘義胤) and Kurihara Nobuhide (栗原信秀) as the greatest horimono artists of the bakumatsu and early gendaitō era, he also played an important role in the transmission of the craft of sword forging to the later gendaitō smiths, so some count Suishinshi Masahide as founder, and Gassan Sadakazu als last great master of the shinshintō, his blades have a rather long nagasa, a shallow sori, a wide mihaba, and a chū or an ō-kissaki, that means altogether a magnificent shape, but also some sugata in the style of the early Muromachi period are known, blades made during the Keiō era (慶応, 1865-1868) are especially large, he made many copies of kotō works and worked after the ban on wearing swords also for the military where more narrow and shorter blades were in demand, he forged the ayasugu-hada of the Gassan school, a masame of the Yamato tradition, or also a mokume, ko-mokume, or itame, the hamon is a beautiful chōji-midare in nioi-deki with a narrow yakihaba and long ashi in the style of the Ōei-Bizen school (応永備前), a ko-chōji-midare in ko-nie-deki, a chū-suguha-hotsure in the style of the Yamashiro tradition, or a gunome-midare with thick nie and nioi and plentiful hataraki in the style of the Sōshū tradition, the bōshi is maru, midare-komi or yakitsume, various horimono are known, for example dragons, dragon and a plum tree, ken-maki-ryū, waterfall, Fudō-Myōō, bonji and many more, all done very elaborate and skilful, some remind of horimono of Ikkanshi Tadatsuna (一竿子忠綱), his tangs are long and carefully finished, they have a kurijiri and sujikai yasurime with keshō, during the Keiō and Meiji eras he signed with a characteristical koku´in, in Taishō five (1916) he forged a tachi on the occasion of the enthronement of emperor Yoshihito (嘉仁, 1879-1926), jōjō-saku

 

 

[Shugyosha]

Hi Klaus,

 

This sword is by 貞勝 - Sadakatsu. 

 

Hi Steve,

 

A fantastic blade. I hope I can afford one of those one day. 

 

Best,

John

[Shamsy]

I am enjoying that this thread has become a learning exercise to. The photo is very cool.

[Shamsy]

I'm pulling the sword from sale. Thank you for the complements and correcting my blunders.

[cisco-san]

Hi Klaus,

 

This sword is by 貞勝 - Sadakatsu. 

 

Best,

John

ups, sorry

[flo06]

Beautiful blade, good luck for your sale