* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Tachi Signed Kuniyuki (Taima)
太刀 銘 国行（当麻）
Also known as: Taima Kuniyuki; founder of the Taima school; heirloom of the Abe family, lords of Fukuyama domain
Description
Kuniyuki, Founder of the Taima School Among the Five Yamato Schools
Tachi Signed Kuniyuki (Taima) is a work by Kuniyuki, who founded the Taima school in Yamato Province (present-day Nara Prefecture) during the mid-to-late Kamakura period. It is a National Treasure held by the Japanese Sword Museum in Sumida, Tokyo, with a blade length of 69.8 cm, designated a National Treasure on 20 March 1954. The Taima school is one of the "Five Yamato Schools" alongside Senjuin, Tegai, Hōshō, and Shikkake, with Kuniyuki regarded as its founder. The same museum separately holds another National Treasure tachi signed "Kuniyuki" by the unrelated Rai-school smith Rai Kuniyuki — the two are distinct swordsmiths who happen to share the same name.
Provenance
The blade was passed down through the Abe family, lords of the Fukuyama domain in Bingo Province (present-day Hiroshima Prefecture). As a rare signed example with clear provenance, it is regarded as a representative work of Taima Kuniyuki.
Style
The Japanese Sword Museum's own description characterizes it as a rare signed work displaying the restrained, understated quality distinctive of Yamato-den blades, with the straight-tempered hamon and subtle utsuri (reflections) in the steel typical of the Yamato tradition.
Designation and Present Status
It is designated a craft-work National Treasure and remains preserved, studied, and periodically exhibited as part of the Japanese Sword Museum's collection.