Description
Shinshinto blade, hira zukuri, uchi zori, hamon gunome midare, koitame hada. Nagasa: 23.7cm. Signed Kubota Shigekatsu and dated Bunkyu gannen hachi gatsu (eighth month of the new year of the Bunkyu era: August 1861).
The koshirae consists of a tsuka and a saya in reddish brown lacquer imitating the bark of a tree on which a dragonfly and a semi are inlaid in silver, shakudo and gold. Fuchi kashira, tsuba, kojiri and kurikata are in silver on an ishime background, adorned with various insects inlaid with shibuichi, shakudo, gold and silver in takazogan. The menuki are in suaka, silver and gold, each depicts a monkey holding a persimmon on its branch.
Kubota Shigekatsu was an important samurai of the Bakumatsu period belonging to the Hatamoto family. He was the last Gundai to be appointed by the Shogun, whose role was to monitor the Daimyōs of Kyushu at this time of great political upheaval, before the advent of the Meiji emperor. He was a great Jujitsu specialist of the Kyushinryu school and ama- teur swordsmith in his leisure times.
- Period
- End of Edo
- Length
- 39 cm
- Signed
- Kubota Shigekatsu
