Tanto, Japan, Edo period, 19th century Shinto blade type o-kozuka, hira zukuri, muzori, muji hada, hotsure suguha. Gorge bo hi. Saya in burgundy lacquer and gold flakes, decorated with wave and plover motifs. Fuchi kashira and kojiri en suite and in shakudo, chased and inlaid with gold, also decorated with waves and plovers. Ring-shaped silver Kurigata, depicting a pair of wild geese. Gold-plated menuki in the shape of plovers. Silver Kogai, decorated with three golden plovers in flight. As on a full-size kozuka, the omote side of the blade is polished, while the ura side is engraved in yasurime. It is signed Yamashiro no kuni ju Umetada Shigeyoshi. The blade is mid-Edo and the mounts late Edo. Nagasa: 21.2 cm Japanese NBTHK certificate for the mounts. The combination of plovers and waves "nami ni chidori" (a thousand birds on the waves) is a common motif in Japanese art, symbolizing resistance and triumph in the face of adversity. As for the "gan" or "kari" geese, they are the symbol of light. The wild goose always flies in pairs, making it an emblem of marriage.