Description
Early Bizen swordmaking before the middle of the Kamakura period (1185-1333) is known as Old Bizen. The characters, <i>Yasukiyo</i>, are inscribed on the front surface of the tang of this long <i>tachi</i> blade. The small tip has no turn-back; the blade surface between the temper line and the ridge appears whiteish and misted over with an irregular pattern; and the temper line alternates clove-shaped waves (J., <i>chôji midare</i>) with undulating patterns (J., <i>gunome</i>).
These features, reflecting the typical Old Bizen style, suggest that Yasukiyo was active in Bizen (present-day Okayama Prefecture). However, since his name does not appear in directories or other lists of swordsmiths, one theory holds that he worked in Hôki (Tottori Prefecture).
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
July 20, 2026