Description
This sword blade (J., <i>katana</i>) bears two inlaid gold inscriptions. On the obverse, it states that Hon'ami Kôtoku (1554-1619) shortened this blade, which was originally a long sword (<i>tachi</i>) blade made by Gô no Yoshihiro. The inscription on the reverse notes that it was called Kuwana Gô because it belonged to the feudal lord, Honda Mino no Kami (1575-1631), of Kuwana (in present day Mie Prefecture) and was considered a famous blade.
Yoshihiro served in Matsukuragô, Ettchû Province (Toyama Prefecture), and was known as Gô. He was a famous sword maker whose work reflects the influence of Sôshû Masamune (1264-1343).
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