* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Kingin Denkazari no Karatachi
金銀鈿荘唐大刀
Also known as: Kingin Denkazari no Karatachi; Shosoin Treasure; ceremonial tachi recorded in the Kokka Chinhocho
- Smith
- Unknown
- Era
- Nara period (8th century)
- Type
- Karatachi (ceremonial tachi)
- Designation
- Shōsōin Treasure (recorded in the Kokka Chinhōchō)
- Location
- Shōsōin Treasure Repository, Nara (Imperial Household Agency)
Description
A Tang-Style Sword Preserved at the Shōsōin
Kingin Denkazari no Karatachi is a decorative tachi (kazari tachi) from the Nara period, preserved at the Shōsōin in Nara, Nara Prefecture. It is one of the 44 tachi and 13 karatachi recorded in the Kokka Chinhōchō, the record of the cherished belongings of Emperor Shōmu that Empress Kōmyō dedicated to the Rushana Buddha of Tōdai-ji in 756 (Tenpyō-shōhō 8). It is listed fourth in the inventory.
Construction
The blade is of kiriha-zukuri construction with a kissaki-moroha-zukuri point, a distinctive form in which the blade is single-edged but only the tip is double-edged. The curvature is slight and the hamon is suguha. The hilt is wrapped in rayskin and fitted with openwork metal mounts of arabesque (karakusa) design. The scabbard is finished with black lacquer over which gilt silver fittings are applied. The scabbard's decoration uses a technique called suekinru, in which floral, cloud and running-animal motifs are drawn in lacquer, dusted with gold powder, covered with further lacquer, and then polished to reveal the design. This technique is considered one of the sources of later maki-e. Two chevron-shaped (yamagata) obi-hanging fittings are set on the back of the scabbard, and cords of different lengths pass through them so that the sword is worn diagonally.
A Rare Surviving Example
The Kokka Chinhōchō records roughly 100 tachi. Records of items removed from the Shōsōin on 11 September of Tenpyō-hōji 8 (764) show that many of them were taken out of the repository. Of the seven tachi that remained in the Shōsōin without being removed by 764, only this sword and two jōtō are said to survive. Kingin Denkazari no Karatachi is the only surviving example of the tachi recorded in that inventory.
A Debate over Where It Was Made
In the Meiji period, Kurokawa Mayori interpreted "karatachi" as meaning a tachi made in Tang China. He also regarded suekinru, the source of maki-e, as having been transmitted from China. Rokkaku Shisui, however, held that the term karatachi refers only to the place of origin of the blade and does not include the fittings. Recent research holds that many Shōsōin treasures are Japanese-made objects with exotic, foreign-inspired designs, but the place of manufacture of this sword's scabbard has still not been settled.
Legends & Stories
Kingin Denkazari no Karatachi is one of the tachi recorded in the Kokka Chinhocho, the inventory through which Empress Komyo dedicated Emperor Shomu's cherished possessions to the Rushana Buddha of Todai-ji. Of the roughly one hundred tachi listed in that inventory, only seven are known to have remained at the Shosoin after the removals recorded in Tenpyo-hoji 8 (764), and this sword survives as one of those rare examples, conveying the courtly culture of the Nara period to the present day.