This is a tachi by Sueyoshi of the Ko-Aoe school, dating to the early Kamakura period. It features a straight temper line with irregular notare and clove-shaped elements, frequent activity in the blade, and a bright, clear nioiguchi. The blade has a wide body and shows the characteristics of the Aoe school.
NihontoWatchKamakura · nagasa 71.2cm · sori 1.95cm
Bizen-den · Bitchu
3 pieces on the market now
The Ko-Aoe school flourished in the lower basin of the Takahashi River in Bitchu Province, forging swords at the districts of Koi and Manju in a region long renowned as a source of iron. The school is traditionally held to have begun with Yasutsugu around the Joan era (1171-1175), and works produced from the end of the Heian period through approximately the mid-Kamakura period are distinguished as Ko-Aoe, with production continuing under the broader Aoe designation through the late Nanbokucho era. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Masatsune正恒 | 1213-1219 | 28 |
| Yasutsugu康次 | 1211-1213 | 11 |
| Kanetsugu包次 | 1211-1213 | 9 |
| Tsunetsugu恒次 | 1207-1211 | 12 |
| Suketsugu助次 | 1261-1264 | 14 |
A blade designated by the Japanese government for its high artistic and historical value, a standing comparable to an Important Sword. The designation carries an export restriction: a Jūyō Bijutsuhin is kept within Japan and forfeits its status if it ever leaves the country.
The Important Art Object (Jūyō Bijutsuhin) designation dates to the 1933 Law for the Preservation of Important Works of Fine Arts, passed during the Great Depression to stem the outflow of Japan’s cultural treasures abroad. The systems of Important Cultural Property and National Treasure did not yet cover privately-held works, so accreditation by the Minister of Education marked an object as a quasi-National Treasure that could not be exported. About 8,300 works were accredited before the system closed, roughly 1,000 of them swords. The 1950 Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties superseded it: higher-ranked pieces were promoted to Important Cultural Property, the rest kept their standing Jūyō Bijutsuhin status, and no new designations have been made since.
This is a tachi by Sueyoshi of the Ko-Aoe school, dating to the early Kamakura period. It features a straight temper line with irregular notare and clove-shaped elements, frequent activity in the blade, and a bright, clear nioiguchi. The blade has a wide body and shows the characteristics of the Aoe school.
NihontoWatchKamakura · nagasa 71.2cm · sori 1.95cm
Bizen-den · Bitchu
3 pieces on the market now
The Ko-Aoe school flourished in the lower basin of the Takahashi River in Bitchu Province, forging swords at the districts of Koi and Manju in a region long renowned as a source of iron. The school is traditionally held to have begun with Yasutsugu around the Joan era (1171-1175), and works produced from the end of the Heian period through approximately the mid-Kamakura period are distinguished as Ko-Aoe, with production continuing under the broader Aoe designation through the late Nanbokucho era. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Masatsune正恒 | 1213-1219 | 28 |
| Yasutsugu康次 | 1211-1213 | 11 |
| Kanetsugu包次 | 1211-1213 | 9 |
| Tsunetsugu恒次 | 1207-1211 | 12 |
| Suketsugu助次 | 1261-1264 | 14 |
A blade designated by the Japanese government for its high artistic and historical value, a standing comparable to an Important Sword. The designation carries an export restriction: a Jūyō Bijutsuhin is kept within Japan and forfeits its status if it ever leaves the country.
The Important Art Object (Jūyō Bijutsuhin) designation dates to the 1933 Law for the Preservation of Important Works of Fine Arts, passed during the Great Depression to stem the outflow of Japan’s cultural treasures abroad. The systems of Important Cultural Property and National Treasure did not yet cover privately-held works, so accreditation by the Minister of Education marked an object as a quasi-National Treasure that could not be exported. About 8,300 works were accredited before the system closed, roughly 1,000 of them swords. The 1950 Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties superseded it: higher-ranked pieces were promoted to Important Cultural Property, the rest kept their standing Jūyō Bijutsuhin status, and no new designations have been made since.
