sword : Gassan TAKATERU

　-Shinogi-zukuri. Iori-mune. The base and the tip are equally
　　wide;the blade warps at the tip, forming Chu-kissaki.
　-The blade has fine Ko-itamehada, and Nie on Ji around
　　Monouchi.
　-Gunome is slightly pointy with Choji, which forms fine ripples
　　from Monouchi with strong Nie and Ashi.
　-Boshi is rippling on both sides, slightly warping.
　-“Sankoken,” “Rising Dragon” as well as Bobi and Tsurebi are
　　engraved in the front; “Bobi,” “Tsurebi,” and Sanskrit alphabets
　　in Hi are carved in the back;
　-Ubu-nakago. The base of Nakago is Ha-agari-kurijiri with the
　　engraving of SADAKAZU in the front. A valuation note by a
　　swordcraftsman Gassan SADATOSHI is carved in
　　Nakagomune.
　-Shirasaya and Kinkise-hitoe-habaki. Sayagaki says “Your Son,”
　　“Sword Craftsman Gassan SADATOSHI,” and “Authentic Fine
　　Piece.”

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　* * * * * * *

Born in 1907, Gassan SADAKAZU learned complicated sword making techniques from a childhood and quickly unfolded his extraordinary talents in his young age. He crafted numerous masterpieces through his life, including 100 swords dedicated to Ise Jingu as well as ones for the Emperor Hirohito and a sumo player Takanohana.

In addition to Gassan’s traditional method Ayasugi-den, SADAKAZU willingly worked on difficult antique methods such as Bizen-den and Soshu-den. He also established a way of engraving blades called Gassan-bori, which is intense and full of energy. SADAKAZU ceaselessly created remarkable pieces and made significant contribution to the revival of Japanese swords in the post-war era. He was acknowledged as Important Intangible Cultural Heritage (Living National Treasure) by the Japanese Government in 1971 for his skills and achievements, which made him known far and wide as crown-jewel of the Japanese arts. SADAKAZU continued to craft swords; he also raised the foreign perspectives of the Japanese swords by organizing open forging at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in 1982. He diseased in 1995 at the age of 87. (His succession to SADAKAZU was in 1966; his former name was TAKATERU.)

This sword was made by request from a famous sword collector in 1956 when he was 51 years old. We proudly present this sword for you to enjoy its attractive Nie that reminds us of Soshu-mono, a noble figure with ample width, and the intense dragon engraving. He must have crafted this sword with special care as it was by request; this piece was presented as a representative work of TAKATERU era in many personal exhibitions, and SADAKAZU himself drew upon this piece for his other engravings. As a side, he “appeared” in a TV commercial in the 1970s and his intense dragon engraving became a popular subject of conversation.

This sword is officially valuated as an authentic piece by his own son and sword craftsman Gassan SADATOSHI, which is inscribed in its Saya and Nakago.

During his long craftsman life, he experienced continuous hardships: a long chaotic period after the war; the insufficiency of raw materials such as Tamahagane (jewel steel); the drastic decline of demands for swords. However, his solid sense of responsibility to hand down Gassan’s tradition to following generations and ceaseless efforts ultimately enabled him to establish the art of Gassan SADAKAZU. Under any difficult situation, he never chose to go for an easier way and he worked on every single piece with sincerity. Such effort resulted in this deliberate work, which is the masterpiece of Gassan SADAKAZU when he was 53 years old.

　！Since this is a consignment item, please be aware that this
　　 posting may end without notice.
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　- KANSHOAN / 02.01.2010 -

This item is returnable. Should you wish to return this item,
please follow carefully the guidelines and Return Policy below.

• Only item price over 200,000. yen.
• We accept only intact item (except unwrapping).
• We will charge 10% of item price as a restocking fee.
• Customers are responsible for shipping fees for return.
• We will pay for refund charges in Japan.
• We will refund your bank account on a yen basis.
• Customers are responsible for bank charges on their account.
• We will refund after we receive the item back and inspect the condition of it.
• Return Policy