99 - MAGOROKU KANEMOTO: A SUPERB AND RARE KATANA WITH NBTHK HOZON TOKEN CERTIFICATE

MAGOROKU KANEMOTO: A SUPERB AND RARE KATANA WITH NBTHK HOZON TOKEN CERTIFICATE Judged by the NBTHK to be the work of Magoroku Kanemoto, unsigned Japan, Mino province, early 16 th century The katana has been judged and attested by the NBTHK to be the Hozon Token (‘Worthy of Preservation’) rank. The NBTHK Hozon paper, no. 3031300, dated 31 May Reiwa 5 [2023], with an image of the tang, with a registration stamp from the Educational Committee of Osaka, no. 50687, registration date 6 September Showa 41 [1966], accompanies the lot. The blade: Sugata (shape): shinogi zukuri, iori mune, torii-zori curvature, chu-kissaki Hamon (temper line): Magoroku no sanbonsugi with nioi-deki Hada (forging grain pattern): ko-itame, mokume Nakago (tang): kiri-jiri, the yasurime is sujikai, two mekugi ana Mei/Uramei (signature): mumei (unsigned) The mounting: Habaki (blade collar): silver with patterned file marks Tsuba (sword guard): of mokkogata form with two kogai hitsu ana, gold and yamagane takazogan to depict a skull and bones Fuchi-kashira (handle fittings): shakudo nanako with gold takazogan dragons amid crashing waves Tsuka (handle): black-lacquered samegawa (rayskin), black tsuka-ito, gold, shakudo and shibuichi takazogan menuki in form of pheasants Saya (sheath): black lacquer with a mottled surface NAGASA 66.5 cm (blade length), SORI 1.4 cm (curvature) LENGTH 82.3 cm (blade and tang), 98 cm (koshirae), 95.1 cm (shirasaya) Provenance: From a Czech private collection specializing in Japanese swords and fittings. Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, few shinae, minor ware, a tiny kuchi-komi (rusty dimple), and five kirikomi cuts to the mune. The samegawa with few small repairs and touchups to the lacquer, few losses to the gold foil on the seppa, and a tiny flake to the lacquer of the saya. Magoroku Kanemoto was the second generation of Kanemoto. He is regarded as one of the foremost swordsmiths of Seki and among the finest smiths working in Mino during the early 16th century. Active in the Akasaka area, he was renowned for producing exceptionally sharp and durable blades and was ranked Saijosaku among late Muromachi-period smiths, while his swords were also designated saijo o-wazamono for their superior cutting ability. Kanemoto is particularly celebrated for developing the distinctive sanbon-sugi hamon, or ‘three cedars’, as well as forging methods that improved the strength and resilience of his blades: Auction comparison: Compare a closely related Mino katana by Magoroku Kanemoto, dated early 16 th century, at Bonhams, Fine Japanese and Korean Art, including the Alan and Simone Hartman Collection of Japanese Art, 20 March 2025, New York, lot 720 (at an estimate of USD 50,000 or approx. EUR 61,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).