KURIHARA KENJI NOBUHIDE (1815-1880) A Musashi Tantō in Fine Mounts Edo period (1615-1868), dated 1862 Of hirazukuri, iorimune configuration forged in itame hada in jinie with a wide nioiguchi, the tempered edge chōji midare with nioi, nie, and sunagashi ending in a ko-maru bōshi with a long return, chiseled with a serpentine dragon on the omote side and a blossoming plum tree on the ura side, the ubu tang with two holes, katte sagari file marks, signed Kurihara Kenji Nobuhide, and dated Bunkyū ninen nigatsu no hi (A day in the 2nd month of 1862), with a one-piece gilt habaki; the fine 19th-century aikuchi goshira-e mounted with en suite silver fittings decorated with monkeys in persimmon trees, wrestling, or grasping peaches chiseled in high relief and inlaid in gold and copper, the black-lacquer saya finished to resemble tree bark and mounted with a kojiri with a long armed monkey, uragawara and kozuka, the tsuka wrapped in baleen over same with prominent nodules, mounted with menuki and fuchi-gashira, signed Kiyotsugu Nagasa (length from tip of blade to beginning of the tang) 33.5cm (13 1/8in) long. Footnotes: Nobuhide got his initial training as a mirror maker in Kyoto before relocating to Edo to apprentice under Kiyomaro (1813-1854) in 1850. He became independent in 1852 and continued working for almost 25 years, gaining a reputation as a skilled carver of horimono. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing