JAPAN - Katana, Late Edo period, the red-brown lacquered wooden saya, fitted with a koiguchi, a brown sageo attached to a matching lacquered wooden kuri-gata, and finished with a black lacquered wooden kojiri. The tsuka handle is made of dark plaiting on a white shagreen background, partly blackened and very worn, with a disintegrated top. It includes a pair of shibuichi menuki featuring three flowers. The brown metal kashira is plain, while the burnished and blackened metal fuchi is unmarked. The iron tsuba is decorated with five small engravings and has no kogai-hitsu ana or kozuka-hitsu ana. The habaki is plain. The blade, long and sharp, is iori mune-backed, showing multiple traces of soiling and marks of impact, signed "立花義秀作" (Tachibana Yoshihide). L. 25.5 cm (tsuka) L. 66 cm (blade) L. 67.5 cm (saya) L. 94.5 cm (total length of katana excluding saya) Condition: At the bottom of the scabbard on the side, one can notice that the scabbard is open. The blade is dirty, the tsuka is very damaged, the saya is very worn. Provenance: Former collection of Mr. Huu Pham (Galerie Potterat)