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Listing an exceptional wakizashi by the early Shinto smith Hiroyuki of the Horikawa Kunihiro school. Kunihiro was considered to be the father and foremost smith of the Shinto period, having established a number of luminary students including Hiroyuki, Kuniyasu, Kunimichi, Masahiro, Hirozane, Kunitomo, Kunikiyo, Ariyoshi, Kunisada, Kunisuke and others. Kunihiro worked from around Tensho to Keicho period, and his student Hiroyuki worked circa Keicho (1596 – 1615).

Heianjo Hiroyuki followed primarily in the workstyle of his master Horikawa Kunihiro. He produced hamon with suguha, like this example, and a notare mixed with gunome in nei-deki with a broad nioi-guchi. This word has a beautifully formed suguha with deep nie. The blade features the hallmark jitetsu of the Horikawa group, a zanguri-hada: a type of tight and vivid itame mixed with mokume covered in fine sparkling ji-nie. The jihada has a bright intensity.

I don’t have an exact translation of the Tanobe-sensei sayagaki yet but it refers to the blade being a typical example of Hiroyuki, with a calm hoso-suguha and dense jihada. Tanobe-sensei dates this blade to around Keicho 13 and says it is a msterwork (yuhin) and that one feature that is particularly noteworthy is the Mishina-style boshi.

This blade is a fresh, high quality Japanese polish. It has a gold covered covered habaki. In shirasaya with Tanobe sayagaki and Tokubetsu Hozon kanteisho.

$8,750 (plus shipping & PayPal)