Marto of Toledo 280 Dragon Aikuchi Japanese Decorative Dagger Tanto Very Rare For Sale

\"The Marto 280 Dragon Aikuchiis hand crafted by Marto of Toledo Spain. The aikuchi (literally \"fitting mouth\") is a form of mounting for Japanese blades in which the handle and the scabbard meet without a guard in between as evident in this Marto design. Originally used on the koshigatana (a precursor to the wakizashi) to facilitate close wearing with armor, the aikuchi became a fashionable upper-class mounting style for tanto (daggers) in the Edo period.

This unique dragon Aikuchi design features an mature serpentine dragon enveloped by its young offspring. Each dragon is adorn with glass ruby eyes and stunningly detailed carvings. The slightly curved, sharpened one-edged blade is of tempered 440 toledo steel that has been mirror polished thus visually beautiful while requiring little maintenance. It features a simulated yet realistic looking hamon that has been applied the length of the blade through a unique process applied by Marto blade smiths during the forging process. The highly artistic sculpt has been cast in faux Ivory and is hand painted in muted tones acentuating its exquisitly fine detail. This beautiful Dragon Aikuchi measures 15-1/4 inches overall and is a remarkable conversation piece in anyone\'s collection.
Marto of Toledo Spainhas been a leader in quality for over 50 years, and as many collectors know, the attention and exquisite detailing exemplified in this museum qualityIvory 280 Dragon Aikuchicontinues to affirm Marto\'s premier position as skilled artisans of the finest decorative Japanese swords available in the world today!\"

•Knife in Sheath Overall: 15-1/4 inches
•Knife Overall: 13-3/4 inches
•Blade Length: 7 inches
•Blade Width at Habaki: 1-1/16 inches
•Blade Material: AISI 440 steel
•Handle: Imitation Ivory w/ gold trim
•Handle Length: 7-1/8 inches
•Scabbard: Imitation Ivory
•Knife Weight: 13 oz
•Knife Weight in Scabbard: 1 lbs 5.4 oz