Gassan School

[Ankh]

Can someone help me understand why this nakago is written like that? for I see mostly Ōsaka-jū Gassan Sadakatsu kinsaku + kaō

[tom]

Kogarasu maru zukuri Tanto:

 

 

Signature: Omote: Hachiman gu on tachi motte Yokou tetsu.

              Ura: Osaka ju Gassan Sadakatsu kin saku.

Length: 25.7cm. 

Sori:  0.4 cm

Jigane: Ayasugi Hada.

Hamon: Suguha with Hotsure and Uchinoke with deep Ko-nie.

Paper: NBTHK Hozon

 

Hakogaki: Gassan Sadakatsu self writting Hakogaki.

Shugo Tanto itofuri Ikkanhei taisha Iwashimizu Hachimangu Goshinpou ontachi motte Yoko tetsu,

Yamato Amakuni den Kogarasumaru zukuri, Senzo denrai Ayasugi motte Hiden.

Nagasa 8 sun 5 bu Kin saku. Showa 14 nen 6 gatsu Kichijitsu. Osaka ju Gassan Sadakatsu

[tom]

Taisho Tachi :

Mei: (Omote)  Teishitsugiin Gassan Sadakazu

 kin saku

         (Ura)      Taisho 4th year, 5th month on a

  lucky day (May 1915)

Sugata:              shinogi- zukuri

Nagasa:             71 cm

Sori:                    2,6 cm

Hada:                 itame

Hamon:              saka- choji

 

 

This tachi was made in celebrating the coronation of Empore Taisho on a lucky day of  May in 1915. The smith appears to have challenged Bizen-den by this tachi.

Koshrae: Hoso-dachi-ken-koshirae that has gold-hiramaki-e saya with shell inlays of ho- birds, kiku-mon (Chrysanthemum) crests and metal fittings with kiri-mon (Pawlonia). The kiku-mon and the kiri-mon was exclusively used by the Imperial Household. The mythical ho-bird (Phoenix) only appears in the Pawlonia wood during the coronation of a new Emperor and, as a result, was said to impart good fortune on that reign. The saya was made by Akatsuka Jitoku (1871 – 1936) a member of the Imperial Art Academy.

It is said that this tachi was presented to Kaiser Wilhelm II by the Crown Prince Hirohito during his Europe visit in the Netherlands on Jun 1921. The history of the sword has to be studied.

A similar tachi was presented to the British Royal family in 1915 in celebrating the coronation of Emperror Taisho.

 

 

 

Jitoko Akatsuka

 

Birth:   1871

Death: 1936

Famous gold lacquer artist. Many of his works are on display in museums in metropolitan Tokyo and other areas of Japan.

Also known as "Heizaemon Akatsuka." He is famous for his lacquerware the "maki-e" technique, as well as some oil paintings. His work as exhibited in Paris in 1929. He was a member of the "Teikoku Geijutsu-in (Imperial Art Academy)."

 

[tom]

Kanmuri otoshi Tanto by Gassan Sadayoshi:

 

Signature:  Gassan Sadayoshi zo

                       Keio 2 nen 2 gatsu hi ( Feb, 1866)

Nagasa: 24.4 cm

Motohaba: 2.88 cm

Motokasane: 8 mm

Hamon:  Gunome-choji very soft with deep Konie and Nioi.

Paper: NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon

 

 

 

 

 

[tom]

Gassan Sadakazu Tanto:

 

 

Omote:  Taisho Hatsu ushi (Taisho 2 nen = 1913) hou Goken no Toshi

                  Tame Hagiwara kimi.

       Ura:   Gassan Sadakazu ( Teiichi) saku Kao.

 

Jigane: Ayasugi.

 

Nagasa:  26,4 cm

 

Motohaba:   2,57 cm

 

Motokasane:: 0,63 cm

 

Paper:  NBTHK Hozon

 

 

 

[Brano]

An interesting blade forged in masame by Gassan Sadakatsu

https://nihontou.jp/choice03/toukenkobugu/tachi/070/00.html

[Brian]

Wow....that is about as close to pure masame as you will get

[Vagabond]

This is mine.  Is signed"  the imperial craftsman Gassan Sadakazu at the age of 79 did this. 
Taisho 3, eighth month on a lucky day (August 1914)

 

[Vagabond]

[Bryce]

G'day Guys,

Unfortunately I can't add any photos of a Gassan blade to this discussion, but I have been looking at Gassan Sadakatsu blades online. I have noticed that there is an almost 50/50 split between Gassan Sadakatsu blades signed katana-mei and tachi-mei. Is this just a random thing or is there a reason behind why he would choose to sign katana-mei or tachi-mei?

Cheers,

Bryce

[Bryce]

G'day Guys,

Here is a 1940 Gassan Sadakatsu made from steel smelted by the Japan Iron Sand Steel Industry Company. On the katana-mei/tachi-mei subject, the split seems to be about 60/40 and does seem to be almost random.

Cheers,

Bryce

 

[PNSSHOGUN]

Lovely sword Bryce, do you have a pic of the full Sugata?

[Bryce]

Thanks John,

Here is the sugata. It seems to be pretty standard for most of Gassan Sadakatsu's blades during this period.

Nagasa 68.5cm

Sori 2.2cm

 

Cheers,

Bryce

[Bryce]

G'day Guys,

While trawling the internet looking for examples of Gassan Sadakatsu's work, I have come across several examples which look atypical and I had assumed they must be gimei. They are straighter than usual, the hada is koitame rather than ayasugi or masame, the mei is by a different hand and the kao is different. Then I found one with NBTHK papers and I began to wonder if the NBTHK may have made a mistake. I think I have worked out what they are. They are signed Gassan Sadakatsu, but they are actually by Gassan Sadaichi and signed with his kao. Here are two examples followed by a later blade by Sadaichi and signed as such.

 

Cheers,

Bryce

 

[WillFalstaff]

This is in Art of the Samurai from the NY MET publication

 

 

[David Flynn]

Wilf, I saw one identical to this (maybe) for sale in Japan at the DTI, a few years ago.  It was still in  it's original box and never mounted.  The price was 3.5 million yen.

[Bryce]

G'day Guys,

I have been thinking further on the two blades I posted above. They are signed Gassan Sadakatsu, but not in his hand. Their jigane, hamon and sugata are not typical for his work and this suggests to me that while they may have been made by one of his students, they weren't made by Gassan Sadakatsu himself. At what point does a blade become gimei?

Cheers,

Bryce

[WillFalstaff]

17 hours ago, David Flynn said:

Wilf, I saw one identical to this (maybe) for sale in Japan at the DTI, a few years ago.  It was still in  it's original box and never mounted.  The price was 3.5 million yen.

That is possible. The items in the book (and the exhibit as a whole) we’re from various Japanese museums, the MET’s own collection, and from private collections. 

[Bryce]

G'day Guys

This is a 1943, custom ordered, Gassan Sadakatsu done in ayasugi hada.

Cheers,

Bryce

 

 

[Bryce]

G'day Guys,

I saw a "Gassan Sadakatsu" tanto for sale on ebay recently. On the left is the nakago from a typical, papered Gassan Sadakatsu and on the right is the ebay example. I know which one I like.

Cheers,

Bryce

 

[Surfson]

That ayasugi is beautiful Bryce.  I have found that it is a polarizing feature - people tend to love it or be put off by it.  I am in the love it camp.  

 

As to the tanto - very few modern smiths' work has been copied with gimei.  You know a maker had a good career when his work was faked by others.  Enough said about that particular tanto.  I just hope that it wasn't bought by a NMB member. 

[David Flynn]

I like Ayasugi, however, I find that the swords with this Jihada , have rather weak Hamon.  Again, this is personal.

[Bryce]

G'day David,

I get what you are saying about the weak hamon, because it is broken up by the alternating layers of steel thru it, but it does have a certain "wow" factor.

Cheers,

Bryce

[Bryce]

G'day Guys,

Below are some examples showing the variation in Gassan Sadakatsu habaki.

Left - 1940 solid silver gilt.

Middle - 1940 solid silver

Right - 1943 silver foil.

Cheers,

Bryce

 

[Jacques D.]

The habaki have in general nothing to do with the swordsmiths

[Ian B3HR2UH]

Except when it comes to Gassan Sadakatsu pieces !

Ian Brooks

[Bryce]

The earliest example I have seen to date was on a blade dated Taisho 3. If anybody knows of any earlier examples please post them.

Another question I have is why are some examples silver or gold foiled, rather than solid silver? I don't think it can be because of cost, as I imagine the price of the habaki is insignificant compared to the cost of commissioning the blade. Is it because a brass or copper habaki is more durable than a silver one?

Cheers,

Bryce

[Andrew Ickeringill]

From what I understand, Sadakatsu made his own habaki, which is why you see so many of his blades with this style of habaki. They’re solid silver, I don't think he did foiling, the gold habaki are solid silver with a gold wash (you'll see on most of them that the wash is fading towards the bottom, where the habaki makes the strongest contact with the koi-guchi) I believe it’s applied in liquid form and the application can be very hazardous to your health.

 

So, if you have a Sadakatsu with this style of habaki and you’re having the blade polished, I recommend trying to re-use the habaki rather than having a new one made, it’s rare for a smith to make his own habaki, and they’re definitely worth keeping together.

[Bugyotsuji]

Generally called Gassan (or Ōsaka) habaki.

[Bryce]

G'day Andrew,

I would estimate that probably only about 50% of the Sadakatsu katana and tanto blades I have seen have a solid silver habaki. Here are some examples of foiled examples.

Cheers,

Bryce