Description
This long sword (J., <i>tachi</i>) was made by Norimitsu, renowned swordsmith of the Osafune school in Bizen Province (present-day Okayama Prefecture). Thanks to the excellent state of preservation, characteristics of the Osafune style, for example, a gorgeous temper line with irregular cloves (J., <i>chôji midare</i>), can be clearly observed. The <i>koshirae</i> (sword mountings) of this <i>tachi</i> follow the style of black-lacquered long swords (J., <i>kokushitu tachi</i>), accompanied by a silver brocade sack with chrysanthemums, and a red-lacquered <i>tachi</i> box. Because they exhibit aspects of the classic style, the mountings were probably made sometime during the Muromachi period (1392-1573), not too long after 1452 (Kyôtoku 2), the date that is inscribed in the sword. This work, originally owned by Kasuga Shrine in Nara, is extremely valuable, as both the sword and the mountings are extant in the complete form.
Data source
ColBase
"ColBase: Integrated Collections Database of the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan" is a service that enables a multi-database search of the collections in the four national museums (To...
Contents holder/Provider
Aggregator
National Institutes for Cultural Heritage
The National Institutes for Cultural Heritage (NICH) comprise four National Museums (Tokyo National Museum, Kyoto National Museum, Nara National Museum, and Kyushu National Museum) and two National Research Institutes for Cultural Properties (Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, and Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties), as well as the International Research Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region (IRCI) in Sakai City, for a total of seven institutions.
Last updated
September 14, 2026