Tarōsaku Masamune

Overview of Tarōsaku Masamune

Tarōsaku Masamune is a sword attributed to Masamune, a swordsmith of Sagami Province (present-day Kanagawa Prefecture) from the late Kamakura period. It is a large repolished, unsigned blade and one of the meibotsu registered in the Kyōhō Meibotsu-chō, a catalog of celebrated swords compiled in 1719. The blade length measures 2 shaku 1 sun 2 bu (approximately 64.2 cm), with a curvature of approximately 1.8 cm. It is currently preserved by the Maeda Ikutoku Foundation, which maintains the cultural heritage of the Maeda clan of Kaga.

Masamune, the creator, perfected the Sōshū tradition and is counted among the "Tenka Sansaku" (Three Greatest Swordsmiths), alongside Yoshimitsu and Gō no Yoshihiro, the most celebrated swordsmiths in Japanese sword history.

Origin of the Name

The sword name "Tarōsaku" derives from its possession by Mizuno Tarōsaku Masashige, a retainer of the Tokugawa family. "Tarōsaku" was the personal name of Masashige, and this name became the sword's designation. The blade is characterized by hi (grooves) on both the obverse and reverse; rendered unsigned through repolishing, it has nonetheless long been renowned as a work of Masamune.

Provenance

The Kyōhō Meibotsu-chō records: "Tarōsaku Masamune, repolished length 2 shaku 1 sun 2 bu, valued at 7,000 kan, [in the possession of] Matsudaira Kaga-no-kami and Mizuno Tarōsaku, with hi on obverse and reverse, presented to Shogun Hidetada, transmitted to Shogun Iemitsu; upon the marriage of Princess Ōhime, granted to Chikuzen-no-kami Mitsutaka." That is, the sword was presented by Mizuno Tarōsaku Masashige to the second shogun Tokugawa Hidetada and transmitted to the third shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu.

Subsequently, when Iemitsu's adopted daughter Princess Ōhime married Maeda Mitsutaka, the daimyo of Kaga, the sword was presented to the Maeda family as a parting gift. Thereafter, it became a treasured heirloom of the Maeda clan of Kaga, renowned for its holdings of one million koku, passing through successive generations. In modern times, it has been maintained by the Maeda Ikutoku Foundation. Its daitsuke (appraisal value) is recorded as 7,000 kan, indicating the high esteem in which it was held among works by Masamune.

Evaluation

Tarōsaku Masamune is a Masamune of distinguished provenance, having passed through the two greatest daimyo houses of Japan—from the Tokugawa shoguns to the Maeda clan of Kaga. It displays a commanding presence with hi grooved on both obverse and reverse, and exhibits the characteristic deep nie and commanding power of Masamune's work. As a meibotsu registered in the Kyōhō Meibotsu-chō, it ranks among the representative masterworks of Sōshū Masamune.