Important Japanese Swords and Armour from the Paul L. Davidson Collection

The sales of important collections are key parts of the auction world, as they represent the consolidated efforts by keen eyes to bring together pieces

The sales of important collections are key parts of the auction world, as they represent the consolidated efforts by keen eyes to bring together pieces that fit their most discerning tastes. While most conventionally seen in the collection of traditional works of art, anything can be made into a collection, as Paul L. Davidson proved with his assortment of Japanese swords and armor.

A former US Marine and a lawyer by trade, Davidson was deeply engrossed in the world of Japanese swords and martial culture. He wrote and spoke Japanese and helped found the American branch of the Nippon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai (NBTHK), the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords, serving as its president since 2003. Davidson passed away in 2021.

Sotheby’s New York will offer, in an online sale, Davidson's collection of Japanese swords, armor sets, firearms, and other related items on sale between 13-25 March. Leading the sale is an exceptionally important sword from the 14th century attributed to the most important sword-making school in Japan at the time. It is estimated to be between US$180,000 and US$220,000.

Estimate: US$180,000-220,000

During the Kamakura Shogunate (1185-1333), the bakufu, the military government of Japan, realized the need to improve its sword production operations and ordered various swordsmiths to move their operations from Kyoto. The Ichimonji School would come from this move and would eventually split into various sub-groups, including the Yoshioka School in Yoshioka, Bizen Province.

As a whole, the Ichimonji School was renowned for producing some of the greatest swords in this period, many of which have gone on to become famed national artifacts, with sources claiming that 70% of Japan’s national treasure swords originate from this era and school. Members of the school also served the Emperor directly, while more specifically, most of the members worked in Bizen, where the Yoshioka Ichimonji School was located.

The Yoshioka School was in almost near-constant competition with its sister school, the Fukuoka School, for dominance in the swordsmith trade within the Bizen region, with the Yoshioka School, producers of this lot, winning out. The Fukuoka school tended to lose their characteristics and failed to innovate in ways that would keep the school alive, while the Yoshioka thrived in Bizen province.

Certain elements identify this blade as one that originated with the Yoshioka School. For example, the hamon of the sword is the physical effect that happens around the blade's edge when being hardened, with this blade’s being particularly vibrant and paired with a very notable midare-utsuri, or polish.

The blade also has thicker lines within the grain of the blade, known as the kinsuji, and pronounced thin lines within the blade, such as the sunagashi, which are both more common in the Yoshioka school than their Fukuoka counterparts.

What makes this lot so important, among Yoshioka School swords, is that the NBTHK has graded it as exceptionally important. This is due to its exceptional preservation and qualities that identify it as a well-crafted blade from the Kamakura Shogunate. Its provenance was also important as it was once property of the Akimoto family, a Daimyo family that ruled over the Tatebayashi domain, which lay slightly north of modern-day Tokyo, late in the Edo period of Japan.

Additionally, this blade is considered within the top ten blades to have come from the school, with the only ones that surpass it being graded by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs as artifacts that are important to the country and fall under export restrictions.

Estimate: US$150,000-200,000

The production of Samurai swords was, as seen with the previous lot, dominated by these various schools, including the Rai School, which produced this lot. The de facto founder of the school, Kuniyuki’s successor, Kunitoshi, is a swordsmith to whom this lot is attributed.

This can be determined not just through his signature on the sword, but also, not unlike a piece of art, a swordsmith can imbue his sword with certain motifs or styles that are characteristic of a certain person. Elements such as the flamboyant hamon and the abundance of ko-nie, as well as crystals formed on the sword during the forging process, are identified as Kunitoshi work. The clarity of the metal and the slight bend also highlight this fact.

Collectors and the broader culture around Japanese swords highly regard works by Kunitoshi. Like the prior lot, other works by this swordsmith are protected by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs, specifically a total of 23.