Japanese Tanto made by the Japanese National Treasure Gassan Sadakatsu with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon - Japanese steel - Gassan Sadakatsu - Japan - Showa period

A real beautiful Japanese Tanto made by the national treasure Gassan Sadakatsu. Gassan Sadakatsu was born in 1869 as the second son of the First Gassan Sadakazu. Sadakatsu was a representative swordsmith from Taisho to the early Showa period. He was a real great swordsmith to make all Soshu-den, Bizen-den and Yamato-den. His signature Ayasugi-hada, in particular, inherits the tradition carried on from the Kamakura period and still lives on in gendai swordsmiths. Under his famous father Sadakazu the First, Sadakatsu forged only a few swords writing his swordsmith name until Sadakazu’s death in the late Taisho era. Gadakatsu put all his energy into making his own sword after the 1920s as a purveyor to the Imperial Household, special swords to consecrate the Ise-Jingu Shrine, accepting orders from high dignitaries. He tempered the sword with a sincere and faithful attitude in accordance with Shintoism. Under this he trained many excellent swordsmiths. His two most outstanding students, one was his real son the Second Gassan Sadakazu and the other was Takahashi Sadatsugu, were designated as custodians of important intangible cultural assets, popularly known as Living National Treasures. Sadakatsu died in 1943 at the age of 74. Gassan Sagakatsu made a great number of works and this one is the best we’ve ever seen. Polish is very well done to make Jigane and Hamon look more beautiful. A double box accompanies it and this means that the sword was very well preserved. It is signed by the famous sword maker himself Gassan Sadakatsu. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Token paper. Blade length 26 cm. The weight of the blade is 195 gr. Hamon Niedeki bright Suguho Notare . The tip of boshi has Hamon