Sugata [configuration]: shinogi zukuri shallow curve, iori-mune, chu-kissaki
Kitae [forging pattern]: itame hada
Hamon [tempering pattern]: gunome in nioi deki
Boshi [tip]: midare-komi
Nakago [tang]: ubu, kesho file marks, single mekugi-ana, yamairigata-jiri
Habaki [collar]: single copper
Koshirae [mounting]: the blade in shirasaya [plain wood scabbard]; the black lacquered ishime-ji saya with shakudo ishimeji tsuba with Shoki expelling a demon with handfuls of beans in allusion to the annual Setsubun festival, in high-relief coloured metal inlay, signed Soryo (Muneyoshi), shakudo fuchi-kashira with Shoki chastising further demons signed Hoshinshi Kando and a gold seal, menuki of gilt dragons, shibuichi kozuka with a perplexed Shoki with a demon hiding on a wind chime above him carved in shishiai-bori with gilt details, signed Ichinomiya Echizen Daijo Minamoto Nagatsune and kao
43 cm. long (blade); 61 cm. long (koshirae)
Machi-haba and saki-haba (blade width at two separate points): 2.6 cm. (machi) and 1.8 cm. (saki)

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Lot Essay

The blade accompanied by a certificate of registration as a Tokubetsu Kicho Token [Especially Valuable Sword] no. 317843 issued by the Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai [Society for the Preservation of the Japanese Art Sword] on 22nd November 1975.

Korekazu (d. 1891), eminent among later shinshinto smiths, was schooled by his uncle Kato Tsunahide in the Ishido tradition of Bizen style blades with choji and gunome hamon, and is known as the seventh generation of Ishido smiths. He succeeded the name Korekazu after the death of the sixth generation in Edo. At the beginning of the Meiji period he was appointed as sword smith to the new government together with Takahashi Naganobu.

Willem Dolphyn (1935-2016)

Willem Dolphyn was born in 1935 in Antwerp, Belgium. He grew up in an exceptional artistic environment where collecting art and antiques was a way of life. His father Victor Dolphyn was a painter and taught at the Royal Academy of art, and his grandfather, Willem Elsschot, was a well-known Flemish writer.

As a child, during the difficult war years, Willem drew pages full of incredibly detailed war scenes. Later, he earned a living creating illustrations including book illustrations and comic strips. He started his painting career in the sixties and his first exhibition in Antwerp was followed by many others around the world, including London, Monaco, and Japan.

His fascination with miniatures and his incredible eye for detail resulted in his love for the fine detail and precision of Japanese works of art, in particular swords and armour. He bought his first katana at the age of fifteen, which he found in an umbrella stand at the marché aux puces (fleamarket) in Paris. This was the beginning of his large collection that he built up over many years and was later continued by his son. He passed not only his talent for painting on to Walter, but also his passion for collecting.

In 1984, Willem co-founded and chaired the Token Society of Belgium, an organisation dedicated to the study and preservation of Japanese armour, swords, and sword-fittings. He stayed an active member until his passing in 2016.