Long Sword with Imitation Bamboo Saya and Dragon

Description This piece has a brown lacquer "saya" in imitation of bamboo and mountings decorated with gold dragons on a silver nanako ground, of fine technique. The piece has a silver dragon "menuki," a gold "habaki," and a double "seppa" of gold and silver. A two-handed "tsuka" has a same (ray skin) and ito-maki (broken).

Provenance Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Inscriptions kazusa (no) kami fujiwara munemichi; [Translation] Munemichi, of the Fujiwara clan, Lord of Kazusa

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters