{"product_id":"antique-japanese-katana-sword-with-red-saya-and-gold-fukurin-momiji-tsuba","title":"Antique Japanese Katana Sword with Red Saya and Gold Fukurin Momiji Tsuba","description":"\u003csection class=\"product\"\u003e\u003cheader\u003e\u003c\/header\u003e\n\u003csection id=\"specs\"\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSignature (Mei):\u003c\/strong\u003e Mumei (unsigned) — both sides\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePeriod:\u003c\/strong\u003e Edo Period — \u003cem\u003ejidai-tō\u003c\/em\u003e in period koshirae\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMounting:\u003c\/strong\u003e Period koshirae — red lacquer (\u003cem\u003eaka-nuri\u003c\/em\u003e) saya with brown sageo; iron \u003cem\u003efukurin\u003c\/em\u003e tsuba with gold rim and momiji kebori; brass (\u003cem\u003eshinchū\u003c\/em\u003e) fuchi-kashira with karakusa; crane (\u003cem\u003etsuru\u003c\/em\u003e) menuki in shakudō; warm-toned habaki\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBlade Length (Nagasa):\u003c\/strong\u003e 69.0 cm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCurvature (Sori):\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.6 cm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMekugi-ana:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eShape:\u003c\/strong\u003e Shinogi-zukuri, chu-kissaki\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMotohaba:\u003c\/strong\u003e 29.2 mm \/ \u003cstrong\u003eSakihaba:\u003c\/strong\u003e 20.0 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMotokasane:\u003c\/strong\u003e 7.2 mm \/ \u003cstrong\u003eSakikasane:\u003c\/strong\u003e 4.8 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBlade Weight (naked):\u003c\/strong\u003e 769 g \/ \u003cstrong\u003eWeight with saya:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1,043 g\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTotal koshirae length:\u003c\/strong\u003e 100.5 cm \/ \u003cstrong\u003eSaya:\u003c\/strong\u003e 75.8 cm \/ \u003cstrong\u003eTsuka:\u003c\/strong\u003e 14.3 cm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHamon:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eNotare\u003c\/em\u003e (broad undulating wave) — the sword's defining aesthetic characteristic\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBoshi:\u003c\/strong\u003e Calm turnback into composed chu-kissaki\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e No critical defects (no bends, edge failures, chips, or serious rust); minor surface wear as expected for age. Suitable for iai \/ battō \/ tameshigiri.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eRegistration:\u003c\/strong\u003e Osaka Prefecture Board of Education No. 40269\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003csection id=\"description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis distinguished \u003cstrong\u003eEdo-period Katana\u003c\/strong\u003e is an unsigned (\u003cem\u003emumei\u003c\/em\u003e) \u003cem\u003ejidai-tō\u003c\/em\u003e of considerable presence — a long, well-proportioned blade in a period koshirae of striking visual character, unified by a warm autumnal palette that sets it apart from the more conventional black-and-iron ensembles of the era. At \u003cstrong\u003e69.0 cm\u003c\/strong\u003e with a full \u003cstrong\u003e1.6 cm sori\u003c\/strong\u003e and a robust \u003cem\u003emotokasane\u003c\/em\u003e of 7.2 mm, this is a substantial sword with real weight and authority in the hand — the 769 g naked blade weight confirming its suitability for \u003cem\u003eiai\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003ebattō\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003etameshigiri\u003c\/em\u003e practice without reservation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe blade's defining characteristic — and the quality that gives it its immediate identity — is the \u003cem\u003ehamon\u003c\/em\u003e. The listing describes it as \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e湾れ刃\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e (\u003cem\u003enotare-ha\u003c\/em\u003e): a broad, smoothly undulating tempering line whose waves roll along the cutting edge with the calm inevitability of a gentle sea. This is among the most classically beautiful of all hamon styles, its appeal rooted in the way the broad notare sweeps create a sense of restful motion along the entire length of the blade — neither the dramatic turbulence of a full \u003cem\u003emidare\u003c\/em\u003e nor the austere stillness of a pure \u003cem\u003esuguha\u003c\/em\u003e, but something poised and harmonious between the two. The \u003cem\u003ehabuchi\u003c\/em\u003e carries fine \u003cem\u003enie\u003c\/em\u003e in an even, soft distribution that reinforces the hamon's composed, gentle character. The \u003cem\u003eji\u003c\/em\u003e is dark and well-forged, and the hamon continues into the \u003cem\u003echu-kissaki\u003c\/em\u003e with a calm, composed turnback — consistent with the blade's overall aesthetic of refined tranquility.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe single \u003cem\u003emekugi-ana\u003c\/em\u003e and the aged \u003cem\u003enakago\u003c\/em\u003e confirm this is a genuine period blade with authentic history. Minor surface wear is present as expected for a sword of this age, but no critical defects — no bends, edge failures, chips, or serious rust — are recorded or visible. Osaka Prefecture registration No. 40269 confirms full legal status.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003csection id=\"koshirae\"\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eKoshirae Details\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe koshirae of this sword is among the most visually distinctive in the present collection, its warm palette of deep red, amber, and aged brass creating an ensemble that feels simultaneously autumnal and aristocratic. Every component contributes to a unified aesthetic statement of considerable confidence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cstrong\u003etsuba\u003c\/strong\u003e is the ensemble's most technically remarkable element. An iron piece in the \u003cem\u003emokko\u003c\/em\u003e form — its four lobes giving the guard a soft, organic silhouette — its entire surface is covered with a dense, all-over pattern of \u003cstrong\u003emomiji (maple leaf) \u003cem\u003ekebori\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e: hundreds of tiny incised maple leaves scattered across both faces of the iron ground in a composition that evokes the texture of an autumn forest floor. The momiji motif carries deep resonance in Japanese aesthetics — the red maple is the quintessential symbol of the autumn season, of fleeting beauty, of the mono no aware that permeates classical Japanese culture. Most significantly, the guard is finished with a continuous \u003cstrong\u003egold \u003cem\u003efukurin\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e — a gold border lining the entire edge of the tsuba — a prestigious and labor-intensive detail that frames the autumnal scene with a rim of warm gilt and signals that this was a sword commissioned for a person of cultivated taste and real means.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cstrong\u003esaya\u003c\/strong\u003e commands immediate attention. Lacquered in a deep, warm \u003cstrong\u003ered-brown (\u003cem\u003eaka-nuri\u003c\/em\u003e)\u003c\/strong\u003e that glows with the rich tone of aged lacquer, it is one of the most visually striking saya in the collection — its color harmonizing perfectly with the gold fukurin of the tsuba and the amber tsuka-ito. A broad brown silk \u003cem\u003esageo\u003c\/em\u003e is tied at the \u003cem\u003ekurikata\u003c\/em\u003e in a generous \u003cem\u003ehana-musubi\u003c\/em\u003e knot, the cord's earthen tone completing the autumnal chromatic ensemble. Black horn \u003cem\u003ekoiguchi\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003ekojiri\u003c\/em\u003e fittings provide precise, functional anchors at each end.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cstrong\u003efuchi-kashira\u003c\/strong\u003e set is worked in warm \u003cstrong\u003ebrass (\u003cem\u003eshinchū\u003c\/em\u003e)\u003c\/strong\u003e — its golden-yellow tone catching the light with the same warmth as the tsuba's fukurin rim — engraved with flowing \u003cstrong\u003ekarakusa\u003c\/strong\u003e (arabesque scrollwork) on both pieces. The vocabulary of curling vines and leaves connects naturally with the momiji decoration of the tsuba, the two motifs speaking a shared language of organic natural forms across the ensemble. The \u003cstrong\u003emenuki\u003c\/strong\u003e depict a \u003cstrong\u003ecrane (\u003cem\u003etsuru\u003c\/em\u003e)\u003c\/strong\u003e in dark shakudō — its long neck, spread wings, and detailed feather texture rendered with the confident hand of a skilled \u003cem\u003ekinko\u003c\/em\u003e artisan. The crane is among the most auspicious symbols in Japanese culture, associated with longevity, fidelity, and the enduring dignity of the samurai class.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cstrong\u003etsuka\u003c\/strong\u003e is wrapped in warm amber-gold silk \u003cem\u003etsuka-ito\u003c\/em\u003e in tight \u003cem\u003ehishi-maki\u003c\/em\u003e braid over white \u003cem\u003esame\u003c\/em\u003e (ray skin), the warm honey tone of the ito perfectly complementing the red saya and brass fittings. Together, the ensemble presents a chromatic coherence — red, amber, gold, and dark iron — that is both immediately striking and quietly sophisticated.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003csection id=\"school-history\"\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHistorical Context: The Edo-Period Jidai-Tō and the Notare Tradition\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cem\u003enotare\u003c\/em\u003e hamon — broad, gently undulating, suffused with soft \u003cem\u003enie\u003c\/em\u003e — represents one of the great aesthetic traditions of Japanese sword tempering, associated above all with the schools of the classical Kamakura and early Muromachi periods that first developed the technique of differential hardening into a conscious art form. By the Edo period, the \u003cem\u003enotare\u003c\/em\u003e had become the hamon style most closely associated with refined aesthetic sensibility — the choice of smiths and patrons who understood that beauty in a sword lay not in theatrical excess but in the deep, unhurried mastery of a form that had been perfected over centuries.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn unsigned \u003cem\u003ejidai-tō\u003c\/em\u003e with a fine \u003cem\u003enotare\u003c\/em\u003e and a koshirae of the quality presented here was not a soldier's weapon or a tool of commerce — it was the sword of an educated samurai who understood both the practical and aesthetic dimensions of what he carried. The momiji tsuba with its gold fukurin, the crane menuki, the red lacquer saya: these are the choices of a man who read poetry, who appreciated the seasons, and who understood that the sword at his side was a mirror of his inner life as much as an instrument of his physical one. That such a sword has survived intact, in its original koshirae, and with its registration fully in order, is a gift to the collector who recognizes it for what it is.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e","brand":"Tokyo Nihonto","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53930895638861,"sku":"K72","price":3400.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0578\/4567\/8248\/files\/Katana72_178K_0034_GenerativeFill5.jpg?v=1779065524","url":"https:\/\/katana-sword.com\/products\/antique-japanese-katana-sword-with-red-saya-and-gold-fukurin-momiji-tsuba","provider":"Katana Sword","version":"1.0","type":"link"}