Anonymous

Edo period mid-19th century

1615-1868

A Koshira-e (mounting) for a Tanto. All metal fittings comprising koiguchi (fitting to the mouth of the scabbard), kashira (hilt pommel), kojiri (butt piece), uragawara (fitting to the base of the kozuka slot) in finely worked silver wave design. The saya (scabbard) is finished in matt and polished lacquer with a matsuba (pine-needle) pattern; the tsuka (hilt) is covered in same (ray skin) with kujirahige (baleen) wrapping in a lozenge pattern.

The kozuka shakudo nanako is within a silver frame, inlaid in gold and chiselled in relief with a dragon (steel blade). Extremely fine nanako (fish roe) ground has been painstakingly hand-chiselled around the dragon, typical of the Goto school.

The warikogai silver, partially nanako, inlaid in gold and shakudo and chiselled in relief with kiri (paulownias) is fitted to the opposite side to the kozuka.

Size 381mm x 48mm

Unsigned