HIZEN MASAHIRO II (1626-1700) A Hizen Katana in Mounts Edo period (1615-1868), 1680 Of honzukuri, iorimune, chū-gissaki configuration with toriizori curvature, forged in ko-itame hada with a flamboyant gunome, chōji midare tempered edge in nie and nioi with ashi, yō, tobiyaki, and sunagashi, with a midae komi bōshi, the ubu tang with one hole, katte sagari file marks, and signed Hizen no kuni Kawachi no Daijō Fujiwara Masahiro, with a one-piece gold-foil habaki; the 19th-century koshira-e with matching shakudō nanakoji fittings chiseled and inlaid in gold with dragons in clouds, comprising a black-lacquer saya, the tsuka wrapped in purple silk over white same and mounted with fuchi-gashira and gold menuki formed as writhing dragons, the circular tsuba with dragons in clouds encircling the rim Nagasa (length from tip of blade to beginning of the tang) 69.8cm (27 1/2in) long. Footnotes: The second-generation smith Masahiro used the title Daijō in the year 1680, allowing a precise date for the manufacture of this blade. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing