* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Chikushū-jū Yukihiro
筑州住行弘
Also known as: Tantō signed Chikushū-jū Yukihiro, dated Kannō 1 (1350); heirloom of the Tsuchiya family of Tsuchiura domain
Description
A Rare Signed Work of the Chikuzen Sa School
Yukihiro was a swordsmith active in Chikuzen Province (present-day Fukuoka) during the Nanbokuchō period, counted among the Chikuzen Sa school descended from the celebrated master Samonji. This tantō, signed "Chikushū-jū Yukihiro" and dated the eighth month of Kannō 1 (1350), is exceptionally rare: it is the only known example of his work bearing both signature and date. It was designated a National Treasure on 19 February 1957.
Craftsmanship
The blade is of hira-zukuri construction, roughly 23.5 cm long with a slight inward curve. The steel shows itame mixed with mokume, flowing somewhat near the edge, while the temper is a small notare pattern mixed with gunome and pointed hamon elements, with sunagashi and kinsuji appearing in the lower half. The boshi turns back in an undulating line that surges upward to a pointed tip, a distinctive feature of the blade.
Provenance
The blade was handed down in the Tsuchiya family, lords of the Tsuchiura domain in Hitachi Province (present-day Tsuchiura, Ibaraki). It is said to have been presented to Tsuchiya Masanao through his wife Ikuko, daughter of Matsudaira Wakasa-no-kami Yasunobu. It remained a treasured heirloom of the Tsuchiya family thereafter, and is now held and exhibited by the Tsuchiura City Museum.
Significance
While the Sa-school lineage is generally known for spirited hamon mixing gunome and pointed elements, signed works bearing both an artist's name and a precise date, as this tantō does, are rare even within the school, making it a benchmark piece for understanding Chikuzen swordsmithing of the Nanbokuchō period.