* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Mōri Toshirō
毛利藤四郎
Also known as: Mōri Toshirō — Tantō by Awataguchi Yoshimitsu, Owned by Mōri Terumoto
Description
Mōri Tōshirō is a tantō (dagger) attributed to Awataguchi Yoshimitsu (commonly called Tōshirō Yoshimitsu), a swordsmith of Yamashiro Province (present-day Kyoto) active in the mid-Kamakura period. The blade is roughly 26.5 cm long and bears the signature "Yoshimitsu." It is recorded under the name "Mōri Tōshirō" in the Kyōhō Meibutsuchō, the celebrated Edo-period catalogue of famous swords.
The smith Yoshimitsu and the blade's workmanship
Yoshimitsu worked at Awataguchi in Kyoto and ranks among the most celebrated makers of tantō. Mōri Tōshirō is about 26.5 cm long, of hirazukuri construction. Its temper line is a medium suguha (straight) with a little ko-gunome mixed in, and the steel shows itame grain with mokume and nashiji ("pear-skin") patterns and a moist, lustrous surface—the refined manner characteristic of Yoshimitsu's daggers.
Origin of the name
The name derives from Mōri Terumoto, the powerful warlord who ruled much of western Japan and who once owned this blade. It combines the smith's nickname "Tōshirō" with the owner's surname "Mōri," following the Japanese tradition of naming a famous blade after a notable possessor. The Mōri family treasured Yoshimitsu tantō as heirlooms.
Provenance
The blade began with Mōri Terumoto, who is said to have presented it to Tokugawa Ieyasu. It later came to Ikeda Terumasa, lord of Himeji Castle, and thereafter descended through the Ikeda family, lords of Okayama. In November 1891 (Meiji 24) the Ikeda presented it to Emperor Meiji, and it became an imperial treasure (gyobutsu).
From imperial treasure to the Tokyo National Museum
Long held as an imperial treasure, Mōri Tōshirō was transferred from the Imperial Household Ministry to the state in 1947 (Shōwa 22). It is today preserved at the Tokyo National Museum in Tokyo. In short, while formerly an imperial treasure, it is now state property held by the Tokyo National Museum—a point to note, as the cataloguing as gyobutsu reflects its earlier status.
Legends & Stories
The creator of Mōri Toshirō, Awataguchi Yoshimitsu, was a preeminent master of the tantō representing the Kamakura period, widely known by the sobriquet Tōshirō. Counted alongside Masamune and Gō Yoshihiro among the "Three Great Smiths of the Realm," his short blades were objects of intense desire among the warrior class from ancient times. The name of this blade derives from its treasured ownership by Mōri Terumoto, the Sengoku warlord who held sway over the Chūgoku region. Terumoto cherished this Yoshimitsu tantō deeply, but as the tide of power shifted toward the Tokugawa, it was presented to Tokugawa Ieyasu. After the Battle of Sekigahara, the Mōri were greatly reduced in domain yet preserved their name as lords of the Chōshū domain, though the blade had already left the Mōri house. Thereafter, the blade became the possession of Ikeda Mitsumasa, lord of the Okayama domain in Bizen. The Ikeda were a daimyo house with close ties to the Tokugawa, and the blade was carefully transmitted as one of the family's treasures. In Meiji 14 (1881), following the Meiji Restoration, the Ikeda family presented this fine tantō to the Imperial Household. After the war, it became national property and is currently housed at the Tokyo National Museum. Yoshimitsu's works are distinguished by meticulously packed ko-itame ji-tetsu and a bright, keen suguha hamon. Mōri Toshirō, with its gomabashi carvings, is judged in its grooves, hamon, and steel alike to be wholly worthy of a typical Yoshimitsu work—a distinguished example of worthy renown.