* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Taikō Sammonji
太閤左文字
Also known as: The Taikō's Sammonji
Description
The Taikō Sammonji is a tantō attributed to Sammonji, a swordsmith who was active in Chikuzen Province (present-day Fukuoka Prefecture) during the Nanboku-chō period, and is designated a National Treasure. The tang bears the signature "Sa" on the obverse and "Chikuzhu-jū" on the reverse. Though small at approximately 23.6 cm in blade length, it is renowned as a masterpiece representing the Sammonji school. The name "Taikō Sammonji" derives from its ownership and treasuring by Toyotomi Hideyoshi (the Taikō), the unifier of Japan. It is currently housed in the Fukuyama Art Museum (Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture).
Maker: Sammonji and the Blade's Workmanship
Sammonji (son of Jitsua, known by the epithet "Ōsa," with the given name Gen'kei) was a swordsmith based in Hakata, Chikuzen. Beginning with the classical elegance characteristic of Kyushu forging traditions inherited from his ancestors, he later absorbed the influence of the Sōshū tradition, establishing a bright, refined workstyle marked by strong nie. The Taikō Sammonji exhibits hirazukuri (flat construction) with three ridges and shows almost no curvature. The jigane displays tightly packed koitame grain that is bright and sharp, with fine chikei detail lines. The hamon consists of small notare interspersed with gunome patterns; the nioiguchi is deep and bright with well-placed ashi. The precisely tempered, refined finish exemplifies Sammonji's high technical skill, and it is regarded as one of his finest works.
Origin of the Name and Alternative Designation "Jurakusamonji"
The name "Taikō Sammonji" derives from its ownership by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. It combines Hideyoshi's epithet "Taikō" with the maker's name "Sammonji," following the traditional Japanese sword nomenclature of appending the owner's name or deeds to the blade. The designation "Taikō Sammonji" was formally applied during the Showa period; prior to this, it was also called "Jurakusamonji," named after Hideyoshi's Jurakudai palace.
Provenance
The blade began in the collection of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, later passed to Tokugawa Ieyasu, and entered the possession of the second shogun, Tokugawa Hidetada. Hidetada granted it to Inoue Masanari, daimyo of Hamamatsu Castle in Tōtōmi Province, where it remained in the Inoue family for generations. Upon entering the modern era, it left the Inoue family and passed through several owners before entering the collection of businessman Komatsuyasuhiro. In 2018 (Heisei 30), the Komatsuyasuhiro family donated it to the city of Fukuyama. Its provenance through the hands of three unifiers of Japan—Hideyoshi, Ieyasu, and Hidetada—attests to the blade's high status.
National Treasure Designation and Current Housing
The Taikō Sammonji was designated a National Treasure on November 22, 1952 (Showa 27). It is currently housed in the Fukuyama Art Museum in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture, where it is known as one of the museum's most important treasures. As the tantō that best exemplifies Sammonji's workmanship and as a renowned blade with connections to Japan's great unifier, it holds a secure place in sword history.
Legends & Stories
Toyotomi Hideyoshi called this tantō "the blade that conquers the realm without battle," and it is said he invariably held this sword and offered prayers on the evening before every campaign. He carried it during the Siege of Odawara and the Korean campaigns, and it is remembered as a blade that accompanied Hideyoshi through his entire path to unifying Japan. On his deathbed, the blade lay at his pillow, and legend holds that he left the command, 'Do not give this sword to the Tokugawa'—yet it ultimately did pass into their hands. More precisely, after Hideyoshi's death the blade became the possession of his son Toyotomi Hideyori, and at the 1611 assembly at Nijō Castle (Keichō 16), Hideyori presented it to Tokugawa Ieyasu, who designated it for use by the second shogun, Tokugawa Hidetada, before it was subsequently granted to Inoue Masanari, daimyo of Hamamatsu. Designated a National Treasure, it is now housed in the Fukuyama Art Museum in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture.