Upgrade Sale: Kasama Ikkansai Shigetsugu Tanto W/ Aikuchi Koshirae

[SwordGuyJoe]

All,

My collection is focused, as most know, on a small subset of Gendai smiths.  The goal of the collection is to have one tanto, one wakizashi, and one daito.  When I upgrade any of these blades, it is time to sell.  To this point, I will be listing a few swords.  All are excellent, all are papered, but all need to go.

 

I will accept staged payments if needed and a donation will be made to the board.

 

The first is a lovely tanto by Kasama Ikkansai Shigetsugu.  The sword was forged on the estate of Toyama Mitsuru – founder of “The Black Dragon Society”.  It is in shirasaya and is accompanied by a nice aikuchi koshirae.

 

Price: $7,000 Shipped

 

Sword Information:

Type: Tanto

Sugata: Hira-Zukuri

 

Mei: Kasama Ikkansai Shigetsugu (Kokuin of Toyama Mitsuru)

Date/Era: A lucky day in May, 1937

School/Den: Kasama Ikkansai Shigetsugu Mon, Student of Morioka Masayoshi and Miyaguchi Shigetoshi

Tradition: Soden-Bizen

Authentication/Papers: NBTHK Hozon

 

Sword Details:

Nagasa: 22.9 cm

Mihaba: 2.3 cm

Kasane: 0.48 cm

Nakago Jiri: Ubu, Kirijiri

Yasurime: Kiri

Mune: Iori Mune

Jihada: Masame

Hamon: Active Ko-Nie Deki, Gunome Midare w/ sweeping sunagashi

Boshi: Komaru w/ Short Turnback

 

Smith Information:

Rating:

- Toko-Taikan: 2.8 Million Yen

Smith Details:

 

Shigetsugu (繁継), Shōwa (昭和, 1926-1989), Tōkyō – „Ikkansai Masateru“ (一貫斎正輝), „Ikkansai Kasama Shigetsugu“ (一貫斎笠間

繁継), „Kasama Shigetsugu kinsaku“ (笠間繁継謹作), „Kasama Ikkansai Shigetsugu hori-dōsaku“ (笠間繁継謹作彫同作), „Shigetsugu“

(繁継), civilian name „Kasama Yoshikazu“ (笠間義一), he was born on April 1st 1886 as son of Kasama Kan (笠間鏆) in Shizuoka

Prefecture, in 1899 he started an apprenticeship as swordsmith at his uncle Miyaguchi Shigetoshi (宮口繁寿), he signed in young years with

„Masateru“ (正輝), 1903 he went to Tōkyō where he was trained by Morioka Masayoshi (盛岡正吉), in Tōkyō he became later by invitation

of Kurihara Hikosaburō Akihide (栗原彦三郎昭秀) instructor at the forge „Nihontō-tanren-denshūjo“ (日本刀鍛錬伝習所), from about

1935 he also forged temporarily at the residence of the nationalist Tōyama Mitsuru (頭山満, 1855-1944) in Tōkyō´s Shibuya (渋谷), with

the ban on swords and sword forging issued by the allies in 1945 he retired to Kamagayaa (鎌ケ谷) in Chiba Prefecture where he died at

March 12th 1965 at the age of 80, he was an excellent horimono carver, due to an illness in 1938 and 39 he was struggling with symptoms of

paralysis, it is said that from that time onwards, he focused mostly on the carving of horimono, it is also said that all signatures in grass script

are daisaku works of his students and that he signed always in block script, he worked mainly in the Bizen style and applied a chōji-midare

or a slanting gunome-chōji

Shigeyoshi

 

From Markus Sesko's, "Index of Japanese Swordsmiths"

 

Photo Credit: www.seiyudo.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SwordGuyJoe]

Bump

[SwordGuyJoe]

Bump

[SwordGuyJoe]

Christmas Special: $6,000, plus shipping, pp fees. Ends 12/26

[SwordGuyJoe]

I should also add that this blade is historically significant.

 

Very shortly after this blade was made, Kasama sensei began signing sosho-mei. Based on research and interviews Chris Bowen did with those close to this smith, sosho-mei blades were daisaku (made by a student and signed by Shigetsugu). The reason is because Shigetsugu had health issues that made forging swords difficult/impossible. This is the latest kaisho mei blade that I have ever found. All meaning that this is one of the last blades that Kasama sensei forged from tamahagane to art sword.

[SwordGuyJoe]

Sale is off, but will take $6,500 if someone is really interested.

[SwordGuyJoe]

$6,000!!!

[SwordGuyJoe]

$5,500, plus pp, plus shipping. Deal ends Sunday. If it doesn’t go by that time, I’ll put it back in the safe. Don’t miss this chance for a keisho mei blade.

[Brian]

This should not still be for sale. Really...just to own a Shigetsugu would be awesome.

[SwordGuyJoe]

Thanks Brian. It is a really nice blade, historically significant, by one of the most important gendai smiths, papered, with nice aikuchi koshirae. What’s not to like? Is it cheap? No. Nothing by this Smith is cheap. By price vs. value is more than there. List price on Seiyudo was 700,000. While, full disclosure, I didn’t pay full fare, I certainly didn’t get a $1,500 discount. Also compare to a recent tanto sold on Aoi for over $8k. Granted it had horimono and a th rated aikuchi koshirae that drove the cost, but also illustrares that I’m not asking a bonkers price here (for those of you that don’t follow the market as closely as I do - which, why would you ).

[Jean]

I have dealt with this dangerous guy named Joe. Be very careful when dealing with him, he makes offer no one can resist. I know what I am talking about, I failed to resist

[SwordGuyJoe]

LOL - Thanks Jean.

[SwordGuyJoe]

Okay - last chance, last discount. $5,000.

[Stephen]

Steal of a deal!!!

[SwordGuyJoe]

Thanks Stephen. It doesn’t get any better than this. Keisho mei Shigetsugu are incredibly difficult to find and this is an exceptional example.

[SwordGuyJoe]

Still available

[Vermithrax16]

Makes me sad this is still available. Means folks don't know what they are looking at. Good luck with sale (I am tapped out).

[SwordGuyJoe]

Thanks. I know I’m the seller, so obviously, I’m biased. But hopefully, even with the bias, people here know me well enough to know that I am well informed about two things: Knowing the gendai market and Shigetsugu blades. First, this is a phenomenal price! Second, shigetsugu blades - specifically Keisho mei blades - are getting increasingly hard to find. That and this tanto is well above his “average” work. Healthy, excellent hamon, nice jigane, papered, plus koshirae.

[SwordGuyJoe]

HOLD

 

Once the sale is completed, I will donate to the board.

[Stephen]

Bout time !!     

[AndyMcK]

Grats to both, especially to the buyer, a very good deal!

 

-Antti

[Brian]

Can't believe it lasted that long. I mentally sold everything I owned sooo many times.