Yakuwa Yasutake (1909 - 1984)

Mei : Yakuwa Yasutake Saku
Nagasa : 23 cm
Hada : Ko-itame
Hamon : Gunome midare
Boshi : Midare komi Asaku kaeru
 

Yakuwa Yasutake (1909 - 1984) was born in Yamagata. Teachers were Yasumitsu and Yasushige. He joined the NTK (Nihonto Tanren Kai) as a handyman in Showa 10 (1935), became a sakite for Yasumitsu and Yasushige in Showa 14 (1939) and came to be a Yasukuni tosho in Showa 19 (1944). After the WWII, he began swordmaking again in Showa 29 (1954) and became a Mukansa in 1981. He won a lot of awards and prizes during his life  and regarded as the best smith among other postwar Yasukuni tosho. This O-kogatana is longer than usual tanto. It has a nagasa of 23cm and total lenght is 33.7cm. Blade is in excellent condition and papered from the NTHK in 1991 with 6 stamps including Yoshikawa Sensei. It accompanies gold foiled habaki and two gorgeous saya; One is red lacquered and the other is shirasaya.