A Japanese sword with an engraved dragon and richly decorated gold-lacquer mounts is among the highlights of Peter Yorke’s collection heading to Bonhams this autumn. Estimated at £15,000–£25,000, the wakizashi leads a selection assembled by a dealer whose career helped shape the British market for Japanese swords. The online auction, Japanese Swords: The Peter Yorke Collection, runs from October 30 to November 11, 2026, with viewing by appointment at Bonhams New Bond Street in London.

Yorke, who died in 2023, spent more than five decades studying, buying and selling antique arms. His collection brings together the qualities that draw collectors to Japanese swords: distinctive forging, elaborate metalwork and mounts that can be works of art in their own right. Beyond their original function, these objects reveal the attention given to every component, from the surface of a blade to the smallest decorative fitting.

A Blade With Dragons, Blossoms and Zodiac Animals

Catalogued under “Masamune Lineage,” the large Sōshū wakizashi has a blade measuring 57.7 centimetres from its tip to the beginning of the tang. One side is carved with a guardian deity riding a dragon; the other depicts a flowering plum tree. Its nineteenth-century mounts add another layer of craftsmanship, with gold lacquer forming the setting for roundels showing the twelve zodiac animals and flowering plants associated with the months of the year. Paulownia and chrysanthemum crests appear alongside scrolling vines on the metal fittings.

The sword also has an exhibition history: Bonhams records it in the Ashmolean Museum’s 1968 exhibition of Japanese swords and martial arts objects in Oxford. The catalogue dates the blade to the fifteenth or sixteenth century, despite an inscription on its tang carrying the name Masamune and a date corresponding to 1346. Bonhams describes that date as spurious, so the sword should not be understood as a securely dated fourteenth-century blade or a verified work by Masamune himself.

A Bizen Tantō Dated 1558

Another highlight is a Bizen tantō dated 1558, from Japan’s Muromachi period, offered with mounts incorporating Ichijō-school fittings. Bonhams places its estimate at £10,000–£15,000. The supplied photograph shows the blade alongside its handle, scabbard and accompanying small knife, allowing the different elements to be appreciated together. Against the restrained steel of the blade, the decorated mounts introduce contrasting textures and touches of gold, illustrating how the visual character of a Japanese sword extends beyond its cutting edge.

Nobuhide’s Nineteenth-Century Craftsmanship

A Musashi tantō by Kurihara Kenji Nobuhide (1815–1880), dated 1862, carries the same £10,000–£15,000 estimate. Made near the end of the Edo period, it offers a later counterpart to the older blades in the collection. Its presentation brings the sword and its fittings into focus as a complete ensemble, with the polished blade set against darker, richly worked mounts. Seen alongside the Bizen tantō and Sōshū wakizashi, it gives collectors an opportunity to compare objects separated by centuries of Japanese craftsmanship.

A Collection Built Over Decades

Yorke began dealing in antique arms in the late 1960s. According to Bonhams, collectors, dealers and institutions across Europe, Asia and the United States sought his knowledge of Japanese swords. His reputation extended beyond the objects he handled: the auction house describes him as a generous mentor who shared his expertise with emerging dealers and collectors, helping others develop their understanding of a demanding field.

The forthcoming sale offers an opportunity to examine the choices of someone who devoted much of his life to that study. From the workmanship of the blades to the artistry of their surviving mounts, the collection reflects an approach to collecting shaped by decades of close observation, research and practical experience.

Source: Bonhams. Estimates are in pounds sterling.

Also Read

Brief History of Samurai Art: A Thousand-Year Odyssey of Discipline, Honor, and Inspiration

The World Art News (WAN) is not liable for the content of this publication. All statements and views expressed herein are opinions only. Act at your own risk. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission. © The World Art News