Mōri Masamune

Mōri Masamune is a tantō by Sōshū Masamune that has been handed down through the generations in the Mōri clan—the great lords of the Chūgoku region throughout the Sengoku and Edo periods—and is mentioned in the Kyōhō Meibutsu-chō as a Masamune tantō; however, reliable records of its current location and designation are scarce. Cherished as one of the most important family treasures since the time of Mōri Motonari, it is regarded to this day as a sword symbolizing the Mōri clan's warrior culture and their tradition of sword appreciation. Mōri Masamune has been appraised as a Sōshū Masamune tantō; it is considered a masterwork in which the fierce nie-deki hamon and dynamic jigane characteristic of Masamune are concentrated in a small blade. While a tantō in form, it embodies without reservation the essential qualities of Masamune's Sōshū tradition—the coexistence of fierce beauty and refined technique—and displays a concentrated beauty distinct from that of tachi or ōdachi. The blade shows the typical tantō form: moderately wide mihaba, hira-zukuri construction, somewhat thin kasane, and a refined uchi-zori or mu-zori. The hamon contains within the small blade the fierce ō-midare characteristic of Masamune, with notare, gunome, pointed ha, and angular elements unfolding in complex combination. The nie blazes intensely, with kinsuji and sunagashi running through the ha, glittering like lightning. The jigane flows in itame-hada with abundant ji-nie and active jikei, displaying Masamune's powerful forging without reservation even within the small blade. As a treasure of the Mōri clan, one of the greatest daimyō houses of western Japan, it continues to attract the attention of sword enthusiasts and historical researchers.