Tarōsaku Masamune

Overview of Tarōsaku Masamune

Tarōsaku Masamune is a sword attributed to Masamune, a swordsmith of Sagami Province (present-day Kanagawa Prefecture) in the late Kamakura period. It is an ō-suriage mumei (heavily shortened, unsigned) and is one of the meibutsu (famous swords) recorded in the Kyōhō Meibutsuchō, a catalog of famous swords compiled in the fourth year of the Kyōhō era (1719). Its blade length measures 2 shaku 1 sun 2 bu (approximately 64.2 cm). It is currently owned by the Maeda Ikutoku Foundation, which inherits the cultural properties of the Maeda family of Kaga domain.

The swordsmith Masamune perfected the Sōshū-den and, together with Yoshimitsu and Gō Yoshihiro, is counted among the Tenka Sansaku (Three Masterworks of the Realm), the most famous swordsmith in the history of the Japanese sword.

Origin of the Name

The sword's name, “Tarōsaku,” comes from its ownership by Mizuno Tarōsaku Masashige, a retainer of the Tokugawa family. “Tarōsaku” was Masashige's common name, and that name became the name of the sword as it was. The sword is characterized by hi (grooves) carved on both its front and back sides. Although it is unsigned due to ō-suriage, it has long been renowned as a Masamune.

Provenance

The Kyōhō Meibutsuchō records it as: “Tarōsaku Masamune, ō-suriage, length 2 shaku 1 sun 2 bu, daizuke 7,000 kan, owned by Matsudaira Kaga-no-kami and Mizuno Tarōsaku; hi on both sides; presented to Tokugawa Hidetada; passed on to Tokugawa Iemitsu; received by Chikuzen-no-kami Mitsutaka at the time of Ōhime's marriage.” In other words, the sword passed from Mizuno Tarōsaku Masashige to the second shogun, Tokugawa Hidetada, and then to the third shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu. Later, when Ōhime, Iemitsu's adoptive daughter, married Maeda Mitsutaka (Chikuzen-no-kami), who later became lord of the Kaga domain, the sword was given to the Maeda family as a wedding gift. Thereafter, it was passed down through generations as a treasured heirloom of the Maeda family of Kaga, proud of its one-million-koku domain (Kaga Hyakumangoku). Since the modern era, it has been inherited by the Maeda Ikutoku Foundation. The daizuke (appraised value) is recorded as 7,000 kan, showing that it was highly regarded among Masamune's works.

Evaluation

Tarōsaku Masamune is a Masamune with a distinguished pedigree, passing from the Tokugawa shogunal family to the Maeda family of Kaga. Its imposing sword form, with hi carved on both sides, and its bold style full of haki, with deep nie, display the hallmarks of Masamune's work. As a meibutsu recorded in the Kyōhō Meibutsuchō, it is positioned as one of the representative works of the Sōshū Masamune.