A75782(W3191)
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Sun'nobi Tanto signed Owari-koku KATSUSHIGE with)Sakura Bark pattern lacquerd scabbard Aikuchi koshirae

Shin-shinto end Edo period (Keiou era /circa 1865-) Owari
Lengrh of cutting edge 30.3cm almost no curvature Width of base 29.8mm Thickness of base 8.0mm

NBTHK(Hozon) certificate

with)Sakura Bark pattern lacquerd scabbard Aikuchi koshirae

Blade construction: Made in Unokubi-zukuri style with an Iori-mune. Extended in length, with a broad blade width and thick kasane. The blade is tapering less from base to tip and the tip area also retains substantial thickness, forming a massively robust appearance. The Shinogi ridge is high, and the Hiraji is wide compared to the ratio of the Shinogi-ji. The blade, including the Habaki weighs 356 grams giving a heavy and solid feel in hand. (Enlarged blade photograph)
Forging Surface: A well-refined Itame-hada tending toward Masame, with the steel showing a somewhat dark tone. Sparkling Ji-nie appears, indicating a tough and resilient forging texture.
Hamon: Starting with an intentionally untempered base (Yakiotoshi), the hamon is a Nioi-deki undulating pattern mixed with Gunome and pointed elements, forming a large, intensely irregular temper with spots of Tobi-yaki and Yubashiri. The Ha-buchi is thick with coarse Nie clustering along the boundary, where Inazuma and Kinsen appear, accompanied by frequent Sunagashi that brighten and sharpen the edge. Within the blade, a deep dense Nioi fills the area with some "You" (isolated Nie formations) appearing here and there and the Nie-ashi of the gunome radiate toward the cutting edge in bright flashes.
Boshi: The temper is vigorously disturbed, swept upward in a flame-like pattern, then deeply turned back and carried down the return.
Nakago (Tang): Ubu (unaltered). The tang descends on the blade side in a ship-bottom manner and finishes in a Kuri-jiri (chestnut-shaped heel). File marks are ō-suji-kai with decorative filing, and the Mune shows a slightly rounded contour where ō-suji-kai marks apears also. One Mekugi-ana. On the Omote side, near the upper Mune area, there is the large and bold inscription of the place of work “Owari-no- Kuni” 尾張国 and below the Mekugi-ana on the flat surface is the two-character inscription signature “KATSUSHIGE” 勝重.

KATSUSHIGE 勝重, active during the early Shintō period around Kanbun (1661–), was a smith of the Sengo school who resided in Kuwana, Ise. Known as a maker of superior cutting blades, he later moved to Kaji-machi in Nagoya (present-day Marunouchi, Naka Ward) and was appointed Mikawa-no-Kami 三河守 as an Owari-domain swordsmith.

The KATSUHIGE of the Bakumatsu period bore the name Katayama Hikoichirō 片山彦一郎. From inscriptions such as “Owari-no-Kuni Chita-gun Jin Katayama Katsushige” 尾張国知多郡人片山勝重, it is known that he also worked in Chita District of Owari Province. Dated works remain from Genji 1 and 2, and throughout the Keiō era. His swords, reflecting the loyalist and anti-foreign sentiments of the time, are characterized by their massively powerful and ornate construction, prized by imperial loyalists. The auspicious meaning of his name-勝重 “piling up victories”-made his work especially favored by martial-minded warriors.

This blade was made as a companion dagger to a long sword, constructed in Unokubi-zukuri with an emphasis on swift draw and cutting-through performance. The original mounting is preserved, and together the sword and its koshirae convey the spirit of the loyalist Samurai of that era.

with) Cherry-bark patterned lacquered aikuchi-style scabbard Koshirae
(Photographs: full mounting front, full mounting back, enlarged fittings)
  • Fuchi-kashira, koikuchi, kurikata, kaeri-tsuno, kojiri: Water-buffalo horn, black lacquered
  • Decorative Mekugi: Chrysanthemum motif, silver, carved in relief
  • Warikōgai: “Assortment of shells in waves” design, Yamagane base, stone-finish ground, high relief with colored inlay
  • Kozuka: “Sacred sachet with ISE spiny lobster” motif, Yamagane base, Nanako ground, high relief with colored inlay. Signed: Masatsune 政常.
    Kogatana: Signed Seisōsai MUNEARI　精壮斉宗有
  • Tsuka: Wrapped with un-colored fine cord in flat maki style
Includes a Yamagane copper gold-plated Habaki and preserved in plain wood mounting Shirasaya.
reference data:
Iwata Atou, Owari Tōkō Fu, Nagoya City Board of Education, 1984