* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Kiku-gosaku (Emperor Gotoba's Own Work)
菊御作（後鳥羽上皇御作）
Also known as: Kiku-gosaku — the tachi personally forged by Retired Emperor Gotoba, Kyoto National Museum
Description
The Retired Emperor Gotoba and the Goban-kaji
Retired Emperor Gotoba (1180–1239) reigned as the 82nd sovereign and, after his abdication in Kenkyū 9 (1198), continued to rule through cloistered government (insei). He summoned master smiths from across the provinces as the Goban-kaji, calling them to forge swords on a monthly rotation, and he himself undertook the quenching, an unusual undertaking. Master smiths chosen from Bizen, Yamashiro and Bitchū served in turn, and swords whose quenching the Emperor is said to have performed are called Kiku-gosaku and Goshoyaki. They are said to bear a sixteen-petal chrysanthemum engraved in kebori. This is regarded as the origin of the imperial chrysanthemum crest.
Overview of Kiku-gosaku
This tachi is transmitted as a work of Retired Emperor Gotoba. It is now held by the Kyoto National Museum and designated an Important Cultural Property. A twelve-petal chrysanthemum motif is carved below the habaki, and this chrysanthemum crest is regarded as proof of Retired Emperor Gotoba's authorship. Extant examples of Kiku-gosaku are few, and therefore precious.
Characteristics of the Sword
This is a tachi with a blade length of 78.1 cm and a curvature (sori) of 2.2 cm. It has been handed down as a shinsaku-tō, receiving the reverence of both the imperial house and the warrior houses.
Confusion with “Kiku-ichimonji” and Its Historical Significance
“Kiku-gosaku” and “Kiku-ichimonji Norimune” are often confused, but the two are distinct. Kiku-gosaku is a sword that the Retired Emperor himself forged (or quenched), whereas Kiku-ichimonji is a sword forged by Norimune, chief of the Goban-kaji, to whom the Retired Emperor is said to have granted permission to use the chrysanthemum crest. Around the Jōkyū War (1221), even after Retired Emperor Gotoba plotted to overthrow the shogunate and was exiled to Oki, shinsaku-tō continued to be prized by both the warrior and court nobility.
Influence on Later Generations
The Goban-kaji system established by Retired Emperor Gotoba raised the status of swordsmiths and deepened the bond between the court and sword culture. The Retired Emperor's passion for swords is regarded as cultural heritage on a par with his waka poetry and calligraphy, and Kiku-gosaku, as its finest expression, is still carefully preserved and exhibited at the Kyoto National Museum today.
Legends & Stories
In the Tenshō-bon lineage of the war chronicle Taiheiki, Kusunoki Masashige is depicted as giving his eldest son, Kusunoki Masatsura, a sword of Kiku-saku (Kiku-gosaku) as a keepsake. However, the anecdote of the “Parting at Sakurai” itself is considered fiction according to the established view of historical scholarship.