A Masamori Katana (作陽幕下士細川主馬佐源正守)

Born Hosokawa Sennosuke in 1822, Masamori was the son of the nidai (second generation) Hosokawa Masayoshi, who along with his grandfather shodai Masayoshi founded the Hosokawa Masayoshi school under the tutelage of grandmaster Suishinshi Masahide. Masamori gained further instruction under master swordsmith Taikei Naotane and went on to serve the powerful Matsudaira daimyô family of Tsuyama domain, crafting swords in the Bizen tradition from around 1844 through to the Meiji era. His nakago carries a koku’in personal seal stamp, the same one used by his father nidai Masayoshi, attesting to the line’s proud continuity.

This extra-long, freshly polished katana is built for business. At 75.8cm with an impressive 7cm ô-kissaki and weighing over a kilogram, it carries itself with unmistakable authority. The steel is so densely worked that the grain retreats almost entirely into muji-hada, with fine nio crystals floating across the surface in a way Masamori’s admirers have described as a galactic effect. Bô-utsuri runs faithfully down the flat, a deliberate nod to the Bizen masters who came centuries before. The gunome-chôji-midare hamon runs in deep nioi-deki with long ashi, the pattern opening like clove blossoms along the full length of the blade, resolving into a midare-komi boshi at the imposing tip. The blade was crafted in the autumn of 1862 for the Tsuyama domain of the Matsudaira shôgunate – the last years of the samurai era – and remains in excellent condition following a recent polish.

The kuro-roiro-nuri uchigatana-koshirae is a striking ensemble. An octagonal polished iron tsuba presents koi (carp) swimming through an arabesque of scrolling vines – the carp as symbol of strength and determined ambition. The fuchi-kashira by the Ishiguro school captures bees busy among sakura blossoms in superb worked detail. Oversized gilt menuki shaped as a yumi (bow) and a quiver of arrows sit handsomely on the long purple silk-wrapped tsuka, giving the whole assembly a regal, domain-commission quality. A gold-wrapped habakiwith diagonal file marks completes the package. NTHK-NPO Kanteisho certificates of authenticity have been awarded separately to the tsuba, fuchi-kashira, and koshirae.