NihontoWatchK79. Tanto in shirasaya with gold wash habaki. Nagasa: 10 7/8″ 27.6 cm. Sori: .4 cm. Moto haba: 2.4 cm. Moto kasane: .3 cm. Saki haba: 2.2 cm. Saki kasane: .3 cm. Kissaki nagasa: 13.7 cm. Nakago Nagasa: 3 7/8″ 9.8 cm. Overall in shirasaya: 19 1/2″ 44.3 cm Before I write my spiel, let me say that this was the most difficult sword to photograph I’ve ever had. Try as I might and for whatever reason, my pictures show very little of what is nice about this tanto and make what is normal grain structure in the blade look bad. I’ll try to be quite thorough with my description. This tanto, I believe, used to be a naginata. The mune in the kissaki was brought forward and the nakago was cut short, leaving what we have today. There is a shu-mei (lacquer attribution) to Yamato Shikkake Norinaga, signed by Honami Koson. Also included is a paper issued at a 1975 shinsa in California, giving the blade to Norinaga and with the date of 1394. The hada is masame with mokume, some of it tending large. The hamon begins in a narrow suguba with subtle hataraki and at the yokote it changes to the classic ko-gumome expected from Shikkake, on through the kissaki and out the back without kaeri, all in a consistant nioi-guchi covered in finest ko-nie. The blade is in polish and other than the large grain there is nothing that could be considered a defect. Shikkake is one of the 5 schools of Yamato Den. Norinaga’s father/master is thought to be the founder of Shikkake but since there is no work extant from him, Norinaga is the founder by default. Early Yamato naginata are rare; it is somewhat amazing that this has come down to us as a tanto. 14 ounces.
NihontoWatchOffered by Japanese Sword Books and Tsuba
This piece has sold
10 on the market
Get an email when new Shikkake School work hits the market.
Yamato-den · Yamato
10 pieces on the market now
The Shikkake school (尻懸派) stands among the five great Yamato traditions (Yamato goha) that flourished in the shadow of Nara's powerful temples during the late Kamakura period. While traditionally attributed to Norihiro as founder, Norinaga (則長) is regarded as the de facto progenitor, documented through extant tantō bearing inscriptions of his age: forty-eight in Bunpō 3 (1319) and sixty-nine in Ryakuō 3 (1340). These datings place his birth in Bun'ei 9 (1272), establishing him as a contemporary of the school's early development. Works attributed to later generations extend into the Muromachi period, indicating successive transmission of the name across multiple generations. Given the concentration of sōhei (warrior monks) in Yamato Province, it is natural that Shikkake smiths produced numerous naginata, with more surviving examples attributed to this school than any other Yamato tradition. Shikkake workmanship shares the fundamental Yamato vocabulary: construction with high shinogi and conspicuously wide shinogi-ji; forging in itame that characteristically flows, often incorporating mokume and nagare-hada with areas trending toward masame near the edge; and steel exhibiting thickly adhering ji-nie with frequent, stout chikei and occasional nie-utsuri. The tempering centers on suguha-based patterns, yet the school's signature lies in its treatment of the hamon: while maintaining the suguha foundation, Shikkake smiths tempered small gunome in connected succession (ko-gunome-tsure), creating a gently undulating effect. Along the habuchi appear characteristic Yamato activities—hotsure, nijūba, kuichigai-ba, uchi-noke, and yubashiri—with well-adhering ko-nie producing a bright, clear nioiguchi interwoven with kinsuji and sunagashi.
The bōshi typically runs straight with vigorous hakikake, often tending toward yakizume or taking on a flame-like (kaen) character at the point. While some examples execute pure suguha patterns, the intermixing of running ko-gunome within the ha remains the critical diagnostic feature distinguishing Shikkake from other Yamato schools[[c:1]], particularly Taima, with which it shares close affinities. The school's legacy endures through works of exceptional quality and preservation. Surviving naginata of grand scale—some exceeding 2 shaku 7 sun—demonstrate Nanbokuchō-period construction with characteristic shallow flaring and deep curvature, often transmitted in rare ubu-nakago condition. Shortened katana attributed to the school display vigorous forging in which flowing grain and chikei interweave, producing steel of remarkable clarity (saeru), while the tempering exhibits thickly adhering, strongly luminous nie creating bright visual effects. The consistent appearance of well-refined jigane with dense ko-itame and abundant ji-nie, paired with distinctive tempering patterns that balance fundamental suguha with running ko-gunome, establishes Shikkake as a school whose characteristic features remain unmistakable across centuries of production. Works attributed to this tradition regularly survive in kenzen (sound and well-preserved) condition, testimony to both original forging quality and careful transmission through successive generations. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Norinaga則長 | 1317-1319 | 43 |
| Norinari則成 | 1312-1317 | 0 |
| Nagamitsu長光 | 1233-1234 | 0 |
| Sukehiro助弘 | 1308-1311 | 0 |
| Norisada則貞 | 1428-1429 | 0 |
Yamato in the Nanbokuchō period
When the Southern Court made its capital at Yoshino, in Yamato itself, the province’s schools were at their height: the late Tegai line, Shikkake Norinaga, and the pure masame of Hōshō. Their technique was already spreading across the provinces.
3-day return window from receipt.