* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Kuwayama Hōshō
桑山保昌
Also known as: Meibutsu Kuwayama Hōshō — National Treasure Tantō by Hōshō Sadayoshi
Description
Overview
Kuwayama Hōshō is a tantō forged by Sadayoshi, a swordsmith of the Hōshō school based in Takaichi District, Yamato Province. It is a meibutsu (famous named blade) recorded in the Kyōhō Meibutsuchō, the catalog of celebrated swords compiled by order of the eighth Tokugawa shogun, Yoshimune.
Inscription and Date
The tang bears the signature "Takaichi-gun jū Kingo Fuji Sadayoshi," together with a dated inscription corresponding to 1324, in the late Kamakura period. The blade measures 25.7 cm in length with no curvature, a base width of 2.5 cm, and a tang length of 10.5 cm.
Origin of the Name and Provenance
The blade takes its name from Kuwayama Iga no Kami Motoharu, who held it as the first lord of the Yamato-Gosho domain from the Azuchi-Momoyama into the early Edo period. The blade was later handed down in the Maeda family of Kaga.
Designation
The blade was designated an Important Cultural Property on January 19, 1931, and elevated to National Treasure status on February 2, 1955.
Present Location
It is currently held in a private collection.
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