Bizen Province, Nambokucho Period, Kenmu 2 (1335)／Iron, forged
Blade length 79.2 cm, Sori (curvature) 2.2 cm
SUMMARY
This piece has a beautiful mix of fine itame-hada (a kind of ‘grain’ on the surface of the blade) and mokume-hada (a hammered version of itame-hada), with a straight hamon (“blade pattern”) featuring small clove-shaped lines. Though slightly polished, this tachi is broad and imposing. It was previously owned by Mr. Morisada Hosokawa. It was designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan in 1950.
ARTIST
Chikakage
Bizen Province (Okayama Prefecture) has a long history and tradition as a typical region for the production of Japanese swords from the Heian period to the current day. The area produced many excellent craftsmen, particularly in the Heian, Kamakura, Nanboku-cho and Muromachi periods. In the foreground, the master craftsmen Mitsutada and Nagamitsu appeared in the late Kamakura period, in the early days of the Nagafune school. They were active from the late Kamakura to the Nanboku-cho period. The style of the early Nagafune school included tachi in the broad ikubi (“boar’s neck”, a short and wide point) style, allowing the simple and strong ethos of the warriors of the time to prosper. One of their characteristics included tempering a standard clove-shaped midare (a kind of hamon) temper line over a beautiful itame- or mokume-hada texture.
List of artworks by the same artist
INFORMATION
Sunday, August 25 - Sunday, September 29, 2019
This Is Japan In Kyoto From The Tokyo Fuji Art Museum Collection The Museum of Kyoto (Kyoto, Japan)
Sunday, July 1 - Sunday, August 19, 2018
Beautiful Blades – the collection of TOKYO FUJI ART MUSEUM and Excellent swords in Fukushima – Fukushima Museum (Fukushima, Japan)
Saturday, January 13 - Monday, February 12, 2018
TEKKARYOURAN: The Beauty of Japanese Swords Tokushima city Tokushima Castle Museum (Tokushima, Japan)
Thursday, June 19 - Sunday, August 24, 2008
Eternal Treasures of Japan: The Art of the Samurai National Museum of the Cultural Complex of the Republic (Brasilia, Brazil)
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