Wakizashi signed Tanshu-ju Naruoka YOSHIHIRA Auspicious day in the 8th month, the 9th year of Tenpo (1838)
Shin-shin-to End of Edo period (the 9th year of Tenpo/1838) Awaji
Length of cutting edge32.7cm Curvature0.6cm Width of base28.8mm Thickness of base7.1mm
NBTHK(HOZON) certificate
Blade construction: Hirazukuri, Low Iori-mune, Mihaba is wide and extended large blade with puffy upper fukura in full. The entire blade is full of brave spirits and strengthened.
Forging(Hada): Steel is clearly blue and forging (hada) is extremely fine Mokume (burl mark) in general, mixing in with a couples of outstanding large Mokume wares along temper line.
Temper(Hamon): Hamon is Ko-nie base, Nioi mist works in the interior, starts with short/shallow Yakidashi on base, then forms groups of 3-4 small gunome where gunome feet works toward the cutting edge, upper becomes shape of mountain range up to Fukura summit.
Temper of tip(Boshi): Boshi is irregularly tempered with a tall clove shape then becomes straight, large circle turns back.
Tang(Nakago): UBU, one Mekugi-ana peg hole. KIRI horizontal filemarks. Single bevelled fully round shape bottom heel (Ha-agari Kurijiri). The signature in front starts with the place of work Tanshu-ju, family name Naruoka, then smith name YOSHIOKA. The reversed side is chiselled the date of year Auspicious day in the 8th month, the 9th year of Tenpo (1838).
The smith YOSHIHIRA in Awaji province (now Awaji island, Hyogo pref.) was a son of 2nd gen. SUKEHIRA (real name : Naruoka Chojiro). YOSHIHIRA belonged to legitimate Bizen school and is to say, he got an additional name [Hone kiri(born-cut-off) YOSHIHIRA] to take pride in better cutting performance.This hirazukuri style wakizashi is extremely wide and long, heroically shape. It's fine steel was carefully selected to perform clear blue steel and forged elaborately for minute forging scene. In view of uniform temper line, it is carefully designed and orderly tempered. It is understood from this work that YOSHIHIRA was highly skilled under legitimate SUKEHIRA school and the blade is full of Bizen style beauty. The date of year the 9th year of Tenpo (1838) adds a historical value as well.
Old silver alloy habaki collar, preserved in Shira-Saya plain wood mounting.
