A very interesting Large Solid katana Attributed to Hirofusa with NTHK Certificate mounted in Shirasaya. Very well forged blade with excellent Rare very well carved full length Horimono ,Well forged Hada and a beautiful active Hamon.
Nagasa 72cm
Den Ise Mishina Gimeisai Hirofusa
Blade length ~ 72.4 cm
Hamon ‒ Hardening:ko–gunome–midare the Bōshi is midare–komi with a maru–
kaeri
The blade has well carved Horimono on both sides a
bōhi that ends in
kakudome above of the machi ; on the
omote side with a dragon winding around a
sword in a hitsu ; on the ura side a dragon winding around a sword and chasing a gem
Nakago has 2 mekugi–ana
yasurime are kiri
Made:around Keiō 1865‒1868)
Shirasaya has a lengthy sayagakai by Honami Tsunemasa with an attribution to Aizu Nagamichi
HIROFUSA (広房), 1st gen., Keiō (慶応, 1865-1868), Ise – “Gimensai Mishina Hanbei Hirofusa” (義面斎三品 半兵衛広房), “Gimeisai Mishina Hirofusa saku” (義明斎三品広房作), “Seishū Kuwana-jū Gimeisai Mishina Hirofusa” (勢州桑名住義明斎三品広房), real name Mishina Hanbei (三品半兵衛), he was the oldest son of Ise Hiromichi (広道), together with his son or student Fusanobu (房信) he focused on the production of gimei which are commonly referred to as Kuwana-uchi (桑名打), there are excellent forgeries known by him, he used the gō Gimensai (義面斎) and Gimeisai (義明斎) and there is the theory that these pseudonyms are actually an allusion to his gimei (偽銘), there exists a joint work with his son with the signature “Ise no Kuni Gimeisai Mishina Hirofusa saku nanajūni-sai nidai Mishina Hirofusa saku” (伊勢国義明斎三品広房作七十二歳二代三品広房作, “made by Gimeisai Mishina Hirofusa from Ise, aged 72, and by the 2nd gen. Mishina Hirofusa), chū-saku
