Long Sword (Tachi), Kiku Gosaku with Hairline Chrysanthemum Engraving 太刀 銘（菊紋）菊御作タチ メイ(キクモン)キクゴサク
Description
Long Sword (Tachi)
(Kiku Gosaku)
With hairline chrysanthemum engraving
Go-Toba(1180–1239) was the first emperor ever to ascend without
receiving the three imperial regalia. The imperial sword
was then lost at sea during the 1185 Battle of Dannoura.
Go-Toba later became fascinated with swords,
even quenching blades himself with help from imperial
smiths (goban kaji). The chrysanthemum crest he used
on these is now the imperial emblem.
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