Hachimangū Shrine Kageuchi Katana

[Ray Singer]

Listing an extremely interesting gendai katana by Morikuni. This sword was made as a kageuchi for a Shrine dedication in 1945 at Hachimangū (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsurugaoka_Hachimang%C5%AB). The full inscription is:

 

於大宮八幡宮辺,雲龍子源護國作

Oite Omiya Hachiman-Gu atari Unryushi Minamoto Morikuni saku

(Made by Unryushi Minamoto Morikuni, at around Omiya Hachiman shrine.)

 

於神前,影打,昭和二十年二月日 

(Made in a day in February 1945 at shrine as a shadow sword)

 

The blade is extremely thick, with a nearly 9mm kasane. I viewed the sword in hand before polish and the massive weight and size of the piece was striking, that was the first thing I commented on. These are the full dimensions.

 

Nagasa:  66.3 cm.

Sori:  1.8 cm.

Moto haba:  3.3 cm.

Moto kasane:  .85 cm.

Saki haba:  2.3 cm.

 

The hamon is a very wide and bright notare hamon with a few areas which billow out above the shinogi. Although the sword was found at a show here in the US, the owner brought to Aoi Japan for a certificate when the sword was sent for polish. It is in shirasaya with silver habaki and has no flaws.

 

 

Best regards,

Ray

[vajo]

Ray one question. Has this sword a double hamon? I have a Sadakazu which has one. That looks very impressive.

[Ray Singer]

Hi Chris,

 

    The area mid-blade is a long-running area of yakiba. My feeling is that it would be more accurate to refer to this section as tobiyaki rather than nijuba (double hamon), but to be honest I have never seen this exactly type of hataraki before. While it is quite beautiful actually, it is also possible that the smith did not intend to have an area of tobiyaki there. If so, one could speculate that the tobiyaki might be the reason that this sword is the kageuchi (shadow sword) for this order rather than the one which was given to the shrine. 

 

Kind regards,

Ray

[vajo]

That line is very straight and looks controlled. I'm a noob collector and dont know much about swords but i didn't think that this was coincidence. 

[Stephen]

Love a truly great gendaito..racking my brain on what to sell to cover this. Does the shrine keep records to where the other one is?

[Ray Singer]

That's a great question, perhaps a 'man on the ground' such as Paul Martin could help track down that information.

[Brian]

Love a truly great gendaito..racking my brain on what to sell to cover this. Does the shrine keep records to where the other one is?

Perhaps the other one is still at the shrine and this was the second one made which was sold?

Either way, a beauty that will find a good home.

 

[Ray Singer]

Thanks everyone. This piece is still available. Any questions, please let me know.

 

Best regards,

Ray

[Ray Singer]

This gendaito is still available.

 

Best regards,

Ray

[Ray Singer]

Returned to owner. Please archive.

 

Kind regards,

Ray