A VERY FINE KATANA Japan, blade 17th ct., koshirae 19th ct. Length of the blade 70.4 cm, shinogi zukuri, suguha hamon, very dense mokume hada, kaeri asai boshi, very good state of polish, nakago: kiri-jiri, two mekugi-ana, tachi-mei: Hizen no Kuni ju Mutsu Daijo Tadayoshi (probably 3rd generation), gold-plated habaki with yasurime, shirasaya and tsunagi. Koshirae: iron sukashi tsuba with geometrical forms, shakudo fuchi-kashira with flowering cherry trees in iroe-takazogan, menuki of shakudo and gold in shape of basket, bird and a fishing rod, brown binding over same, saya of a kind of black lacquer sabiji, sageo. From an old German private collection, acquired prior to 2007