Blade and Mounting for a Dagger (<i>Tantō</i>)

Gassan Sadakazu|Nomura Katsumori|Seii

blade, dated 1870; mounting, 19th century · Steel, wood (rosewod), copper-gold alloy (<i>shakudō</i>), copper-silver alloy (<i>shibuichi</i>), gold, silver · Arms and Armor

In 1876, the Japanese government issued an edict abolishing the wearing of the sword in Japan. Sadakazu is one of the few swordsmiths to continue working after that date. He kept the craft alive by making replicas of ancient blades. The blade of this dagger is made in the style of Umetada Myoju, a swordsmith active in the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century. The inscription indicates that Sadakazu did the engraving himself. The fittings are by Katsumori, a student of Kanō Natsuo (1829–1898), the last great maker of sword fittings.

Artist

Gassan Sadakazu|Nomura Katsumori|Seii

Date

blade, dated 1870; mounting, 19th century

Medium

Steel, wood (rosewod), copper-gold alloy (<i>shakudō</i>), copper-silver alloy (<i>shibuichi</i>), gold, silver

Culture

Japanese

Department

Arms and Armor

Credit line

The Friedsam Collection, Bequest of Michael Friedsam, 1931