Title: Blade and Mounting for a Sword (Katana)
Object type: Blade and mounting for a sword (Katana)
Date: blade, dated 1839; mounting, 19th century
Culture: Japanese
Artist: Blade inscribed by Naotane Taikei 
Artist bio: Japanese, Yamagata 1778–1857 Edo
Artist nationality: Japanese
Artist role: Swordsmith
Medium: Steel, wood, lacquer, rayskin (samé), silk, iron, copper-gold alloy (shakudō), copper, gold, silver
Dimensions: L. 39 1/4 in. (99.8 cm); L. of blade 36 15/16 in. (93.8 cm); L. of cutting edge 28 5/8 in. (72.7 cm); D. of curvature 1 3/16 in. (3 cm)
Classification: Swords
Credit line: Gift of Brayton Ives and W. T. Walters, 1891
Geography: Country of Origin Hagi Nagato Province (Yamaguchi Prefecture)  Japan      
Department: Arms and Armor
Repository: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY