Sengoku Seki was an industry: smiths organized under their tutelary Kasuga shrine, arming the war bands of central Japan. Magoroku Kanemoto’s sanbonsugi and the finest Kanesada work prove quality survived inside mass production.
NihontoWatchNihontoWatchThis blade is attributed to Mino Senjuin (美濃千手院), which is one of the most famous schools during the late Nanbokucho-late Muromachi period (Mid 14th-Early 16th century) in Mino province (today’s Gifu prefecture). According to NBTHK that appraised this blade, it was approximately made during the mid-late Muromachi period (Late 15th-Early 16th century). The school was located in Akasaka village near Sekigahara, an essential hub for transportation and military bases from ancient times. It is said that the Mino Senjuin school was founded by Sensui (泉水), the son of Yamato Koku Senjuin Shigehiro. Yamato region was one of the most famous sites for sword-forging during the late Heian-Kamakura period. Sensui moved from Yamato (today’s Nara prefecture) to Akasaka village in Mino province during the Nanbokucho period. Senjuin School in Yamato region There was a temple called Senjudo in Nara prefecture where Senju Kannon (Thousand arms) Budha statue was worshiped. And a group of swordsmiths who lived there was known as Senjuin (千手院). They belonged to Todaji temple. Senjuin School was founded by Yukinobu, who was the son of Yoshiyuki. Yukinonobu was originally a servant for Senjuin temple, a branch of Todaiji temple during the late Heian period (1086-1107), and eventually became an Okakae Kaji for the temple. This blade is appraised as a Hozon Touken (保存刀剣) issued by NBTHK (Nihon Bijutsu Touken Hozon Kyokai: 日本美術刀剣保存協会). Tachi Koshirae This blade is stored in Tachi(太刀) Koshirae. Tachi was mainly used by an armored Samurai with one hand on horseback from the Heian period (794-1185 A.D.) until the early Muromachi period. TACHI was suspended loosely on the left waist with its edge facing the ground so that you could draw it faster to cut down soldiers on the ground. Because of its gorgeous looking, having a Tachi-style sword mounting became a social status among Samurai. *Please keep in mind that there are a few Kitae Kizu on the blade. Fuchi-Kashira This fuchi-kashira is decorated with a wisteria crest (藤紋, fuji-mon), a traditional Japanese family emblem. The motif is based on the leaves and blossoms of the wisteria plant, a deciduous, climbing vine from the legume family that grows wild in the mountains of Japan. Wisteria has long been considered an auspicious plant in Japan due to its long life span and vigorous growth. It appears frequently in ancient Japanese literature, including the Manyōshū, Japan’s oldest anthology of poetry, where it was often praised for its graceful beauty. Because of its favorable symbolism, the wisteria motif was widely used not only as a family crest (家紋, kamon), but also in decorative arts such as textiles and lacquerware. Its elegant, cascading flowers made it a particularly popular design among aristocratic and samurai families. Tsuka and Menuki This menuki features a dragon (龍, ryū), a mythical creature that originated in ancient Chinese legends and mythology. Dragons have long been regarded as auspicious beasts, symbolizing power, good fortune, and divine authority. According to traditional Chinese beliefs, the dragon’s body is said to combine features of nine different animals: antlers of a deer, the head of a camel, eyes of a demon, the neck of a snake, the belly of a mizuchi (a legendary Japanese water creature with horns and legs), scales of a fish, claws of a hawk, palms of a tiger, and ears of an ox. Because of this extraordinary and mysterious appearance, the dragon was considered to reign supreme among all creatures. In ancient China, dragon motifs were strictly reserved for the emperor, with precise rules governing their depiction—even down to the number of claws. In contrast, in Japan, dragons were not tied to social class and could be used more freely in decorative arts. Nevertheless, the dragon has consistently been viewed as an all-purpose auspicious symbol. In Japan, dragons are also revered as water deities, a belief known as Ryūjin Shinkō (竜神信仰). As water has always been vital for rice cultivation, the dragon has long been associated with rain, rivers, and agricultural blessings. For this reason, the dragon motif has remained deeply familiar and culturally significant in Japan since ancient times. Tsuba and Habaki This tsuba features the same wisteria crest motif as seen on the fuchi-kashira. The elegant design incorporates multiple wisteria emblems scattered across the surface. The background of the tsuba is finished with a textured surface known as nanako-ji (魚々子地), a traditional decorative technique in Japanese metalwork. This surface is created by meticulously punching countless tiny dots into the metal, resulting in a fine, beaded texture that resembles a field of fish roe. Nanako-ji was often used to highlight the contrast between the smooth raised motifs and the textured background, showcasing the artisan’s skill and adding refined elegance to the piece. Additionally, heart-shaped openings can be seen at the four corners of the tsuba. These are called inoshime (猪の目), a traditional Japanese design element resembling a boar’s eye. The inoshime motif has long been used in architecture and sword fittings as a symbol of protection and good fortune. Saya The saya also features the same kamon (family crest), creating a unified and harmonious design throughout the entire mounting. Authentication Paper They authenticated the blade on February 2nd in the 29th year of Heisei (2017). They appraised it as Hozon Touken, the blade worth preserving for Japanese society.
Mino Senjuin School美濃千手院派
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Mino-den · Mino
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Akasaka in Mino Province was the seat of a group the NBTHK setsumei records under two names, Mino Senjuin and Akasaka Senjuin, and the documents are consistent on its descent: the line traces to the Yamato Senjuin tradition, whose craftsmen relocated north into Mino. The setsumei place that migration around the end of the Nanbokuchō period, with the group then flourishing into the Muromachi. According to the Kōsei Kotō Meikan as cited, the founder was Kuninaga, set around the Jōji years, with the line carrying the Kuninaga name onward to the Meiō era; Kunishige is placed near Kenmu and is represented by surviving work. The smiths the setsumei name span this arc: Kuninaga, Kunishige, and Kuniyuki of the Nanbokuchō; the joint spear-makers Hironaga and Hiroshige and the ancient smith Tōga of the Muromachi; and later hands signing Dōei, Dōin, Yasumichi, or simply Senjuin. The documents also chart a parallel current, the Echizen smith Kuniyuki of Tsuruga (signing Esshū or Etsushū) who entered Mino between Ōan 6 and 7, alongside Kaneshige and Tametsugu who likewise moved from Echizen. The shared vocabulary of these blades begins in the forging: itame mixed with mokume that flows toward masame, with grain that stands out (hada-dachi), ji-nie, chikei, and a whitish cast (shirake-gokoro) the setsumei return to repeatedly. The temper divides along two lines the documents describe as habitual. " The other runs hotter: notare mixed with gunome, abundant nie, yubashiri, tobiyaki, and muneyaki building toward hitatsura, the manner that marks the Echizen Kuniyuki current.
The bōshi tends to midare-komi with hakikake and a pointed return. To recognize the hand, the setsumei direct attention to the masame-bearing, whitish ji carrying Yamato traits of hotsure and kuichigai-ba, set against a gunome base that leans toward emerging Mino-den character. For kantei the documents are explicit that this line "consistently displays a stronger Yamato character" than the Seki-mono otherwise encountered, and that its hamon "stands at a considerable remove from typical Mino workmanship," though the jigane keeps it within that milieu. Signed pieces carrying an individual maker's name are noted as scarce, which raises the documentary weight of the dated and signed examples the setsumei single out: the Kuninaga tantō dated Ōan gannen, the signed Kunishige and Kuniyuki tachi, and the Esshū Kuniyuki wakizashi dated Sadaji and Ōan whose signatures incorporate Fujiwara. Among named works the setsumei cite the ōmi-yari signed Senjuin with its vermilion-lacquered long-shaft mounting, the joint spear of Hironaga and Hiroshige, and the wakizashi by Tōga held to copy the Genji treasure Higekiri. Provenance is recorded for the Tōga piece, formerly of Tanzan Shrine in Yamato, donated to the Imperial Household and recorded in Honma's inventory of the Imperial collection, with two further Tanzan blades assigned to the Nanbokuchō. The documents place these works across the Tokubetsu-Jūyō and Jūyō registers and Honma's inventory of the Imperial collection, reading the group as a Yamato offshoot that carried its masame-grounded manner into Mino while the gunome base turned toward Mino-den. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Kuniyuki國行 | 1362-1368 | 8 |
| Doin道印 | 1469-1487 | 0 |
| Yasumichi康道 | 1504-1521 | 0 |
| Kaneuji兼氏 | 1492-1501 | 0 |
| Yasutsugu康繼 | 1532-1555 | 0 |
Mino in the Muromachi period
Sengoku Seki was an industry: smiths organized under their tutelary Kasuga shrine, arming the war bands of central Japan. Magoroku Kanemoto’s sanbonsugi and the finest Kanesada work prove quality survived inside mass production.
Certifies a genuine blade worth preserving: a signature confirmed correct, or, if unsigned, an era, province, and school that the NBTHK can reliably identify.
The NBTHK (Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai, the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords) is a public-interest incorporated foundation founded in 1948 and supervised by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs (Bunkachō); it is based at the Japanese Sword Museum in Tokyo. Its expert panels physically examine each submitted work (shinsa) and issue a certificate (kanteishō) ranking it by artistic and historical merit. NBTHK papers are the most widely recognized standard of authentication for Japanese swords and fittings.
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