Kitano-Gō

北野江

Also known as: Kitano-Gō; attributed to Gō Yoshihiro

Smith: Attributed to Gō Yoshihiro (Etchū Province)
Era: Nanbokuchō period (14th century)
Type: Uchigatana
Designation: Unranked (no formal cultural-property designation)
Location: Tokyo National Museum

Description

Uchigatana Attributed to Gō Yoshihiro

Kitano-Gō is an uchigatana attributed to Gō Yoshihiro, a swordsmith of Etchū Province active in the Nanbokuchō period. No signed work by Gō Yoshihiro survives. This blade is also ō-suriage and mumei, and a gold-inlaid inscription reading "Kō suriage, Kōtoku [monogram]" is inscribed on the tang. The blade measures 69.8 cm in length with a curvature of 1.8 cm.

Provenance — From the Honami Family to the Maeda Family of Kaga

Honami Kōsa purchased the blade in Sakai, and it is said that Honami Kōtoku later shortened it. In 1614 (Keichō 19), Maeda Toshitsune, the second lord of the Kaga domain, is said to have bought the sword from Kōsa on his way to Edo. It was thereafter handed down to successive lords as a treasured heirloom of the Maeda family.

Origin of the Name

The name is said to derive from Maeda Toshitsune's test cutting with this blade at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine in Kyoto.

Designation and Present Location

The sword has not received formal government designation as an Important Cultural Property or National Treasure (not appraised). After the Meiji Restoration, it was presented by the Maeda family to Emperor Meiji, became imperial property, and is now held by the Tokyo National Museum.

Legends & Stories

The name is said to originate from an episode in which the Kaga domain lord Maeda Toshitsune test-cut with this blade at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine in Kyoto.