Edo period Bo-hi bladed shin gunto, sold |
A superb Edo period bo-hi (grooved) blade, unsigned, in full polish,
in Shin Gunto mounts.
This is a superbly made 67cm (excluding habaki) blade, circa early
17th Century and one of the sword maker's finest by token of the
fact it has a "bo-hi" groove; the sword maker is unknown
as the blade is not signed. I have handled a number of bo-hi blades
and this one is excellent; the groove is well and evenly made.
When I realized this was a high quality blade in then somewhat
tatty Japanese shin gunto army mounts, I sent the entire sword away
for refurbishment and polishing. Six months later the sword is as
you see it now. The polisher, who I will gladly put a buyer in touch
with commented that if he had the funds he would buy it from me;
the blade is so good with so little ware (forging lines / defects).
The photo below actually shows the worst side of the blade at the
worst point.
There is one tiny issue with the katana in that the nakago-ana
(the hole in the blade's tang) does not align with the hole in the
tsuka (grip). I do not want to replace the entire mounts (a buyer
may well decide to lose the army mounts anyway), nor do I want to
expand the nakago-ana; there are two nakago-ana as can be seen below.
Further / full sized pictures available upon request. Item number
260 / Box87-1m.
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