A Good Shinto Aikuchi Tanto Samurai Dagger with a Fine Blade

The blade has a fine Hamon with a full, back edge temper, and a running itami grain hada. With giant rayskin bound hilt and black speckled dark red lacquer saya. flying geese kozuka, carved buffalo black horn fittings. Shinto period, circa 1620.

Tanto first began to appear in the Heian period, however these blades lacked artistic qualities and were purely weapons. In the Early Kamakura period high quality tanto with artistic qualities began to appear, and the famous Yoshimitsu (the greatest tanto maker in Japanese history) began his forging. Tanto production increased greatly around the Muromachi period and then dropped off in the Shinto period. Shinto period tanto are quite rare. Tanto were mostly carried by Samurai; commoners did not generally carry them. Women sometimes carried a small tanto called a kaiken in their obi for self defence.It was sometimes worn as the shoto in place of a wakizashi in a daisho, especially on the battlefield. Before the 16th century it was common for a Samurai to carry a tachi and a tanto as opposed to a katana and a wakizashi. all the fittings and lacquer are original Edo period, the old saya lacquer has some usual wear marks, and the kozuka [small utility knife handle] has a small area of age denting.
Overall length in saya approx 16 inches, blade 11 inches.

Code: 20925