High quality late Edo shinshinto tanto from the Hoju school. Hoju was a long running school descending back to the Heian period. This is a signed example of their late work and is papered affirming the mei and condition. The blade is massively thick, healthy and flawless with horimono of ken, lotus and bonji. In polish with shirasaya, habaki and kanteisho.

HŌJU (宝寿), Bunsei (文政, 1818-1830), Dewa – “Yonezawa-jū Katō Hōju kore o tsukuru” (米沢住加藤宝寿造之), “Katō Hōju tsukuru” (加藤宝寿造), real name Katō Sukeshirō (加藤助四郎), according to tradition the son of Katō Kunihide (国秀) who was active around Bunka (文化, 1804-1818), dense and somewhat standing-out ko-mokume, gunome-midare, suguha, chūjō-saku