Ichimonji Sukezane's Tachi

一文字助真の太刀

Also known as: Sukezane Tachi

Smith

Ichimonji Sukezane

Era

Mid-Kamakura Period (late 13th century)

Type

Tachi

Designation

National Treasure

Location

Tokyo National Museum

Description

The Ichimonji Sukezane tachi is a National Treasure tachi representative of the Fukuoka Ichimonji school of Bizen in the mid-Kamakura period. It was passed down in the Kishū Tokugawa family and is now held by the Tokyo National Museum. Sukezane was a master smith representative of the Fukuoka Ichimonji school in Bizen Province in the mid-Kamakura period. His style is especially famous for its chōji-midare hamon, embodying the peak of Bizen smithing. The blade length is 66.9 cm. The tang has been shortened (suriage), but funbari remains in the koshi-zori, and the kissaki is ikubi-kissaki. The hamon is jūka-chōji in a gorgeous midare, with ashi and yō; the yakiba is wide, with deep nioi and ko-nie. The Agency for Cultural Affairs' commentary describes it as a masterpiece second only to the Nikkō Sukezane.

Legends & Stories

Sukezane was a smith of the Fukuoka Ichimonji school of Bizen. It is said that he later moved to Kamakura in Sagami Province, and he is also called Sōshū Ichimonji. Signed works by Sukezane are extremely rare, and this tachi, which was passed down in the Kishū Tokugawa family, is regarded, together with the Nikkō Sukezane at Nikkō Tōshōgū, as the finest among Sukezane's works.