NihontoWatchSugata (Construction): Hira-zukuri, Iori-mune, with a slight Takenoko-zori (bamboo-shoot curvature). The blade is of standard width with a thick in Kasane, and displays a somewhat diminished Fukura. The tang is comparatively long in proportion to the blade, a configuration characteristic of forms widely seen from the closing years of the Nanbokuchō period through the early Muromachi period. Jigane (Forging Pattern): The steel exhibits a slightly bluish-black hue. The Jihada is based on Mokume, intermixed with flowing Masame-like textures along both the Ha-side and the Mune-side, producing an overall standing grain appearance. Faint, bar-shaped Usuri can be discerned, imparting an elegant and archaic atmosphere. Hamon (Temper Pattern): A ko-nie-deki Suguha, gently undulating and incorporating small irregularities and occasional Uhinoke. The interior of the Hamon is densely filled with Nioi and contains Nezumi-ashi and areas of slight fraying (Hotsure). From the Yakidashi rises a bar-like reflection resembling Mizukage. Bōshi (Tip Temper): The tempered area rises high into the point, continuing in a straight course before forming a medium round turn-back (Chū-maru). The tip is swept slightly (Hakikake) and the temper descends deeply along the Mune. Nakago (Tang): Ubu (unaltered), without curvature. The tang is unusually long relative to the blade length. Two Mekugi-ana. The Yasurime are Katte-sagari, while the Mune side is finished flat, with prominent Ō-sujikai file marks also present. The Nakago-jiri takes the form of an extremely Ha-agari Iriyama resembling a one-sided bevel. On the Omote side, near the Mune and below the first, archaic-looking Mekugi-ana, is the two-character signature "NORINAGA" 則長. During the Nara period, Yamato Province flourished as the center of the development of the Yamato people, and it is believed that the Yamato smiths worked diligently in the service of the Imperial Court. By the late Heian period, the province prospered under the Fujiwara clan's promotion of Buddhism and as the influence of its great temples expanded, the major schools of Senjuin, Taima, Shikkake, Hōshō, and Tegai emerged, producing many distinguished swordsmiths. NORINAGA 則長 is regarded as the founder of the Shikkake school. Extant works bearing dated inscriptions from Bunpō 3 (1319) and Ryakuō 3 (1340) are acknowledged. According to traditional swordsmith references, the first-generation NORINAGA 則長worked around the Shōō era (mid-Kamakura period), the second around Gentoku (late Kamakura period), the third around Jōji (Nanbokuchō period), the fourth around Ōei (early Muromachi period), and the fifth around Eikyō (mid-Muromachi period), all belonging to the Shikkake tradition of Yamato Province. Because Yamato was repeatedly ravaged by conflicts involving warrior-monks, comparatively few works survive. Furthermore, many long Tachi have been shortened, and dated examples are exceptionally rare. Consequently, various theories exist regarding the attribution of individual generations of NORINAGA. This Tantō closely resembles the dated Shōchō (1428) tantō illustrated in Nihon Tōkō Jiten: Kotō-hen, sign :“□amato-no-Kuni NORINAGA-saku Shōchō □ nen Hachigats-hi ” 『□和国則長作 正長□年八月日』. On both tang construction and style of inscription. It is therefore presumed to be the work of the same smith and is likely attributable to the fourth-generation NORINAGA as recorded in traditional swordsmith genealogies. Rated Ō-wazamono (most supreme sharp performance) and Jō-saku (superior workmanship). The accompanying Aikuchi koshirae, decorated with an elegant Momoyama-style Kara-hana motif, possesses a gold-tooled leather-covered scabbard (Kinkarakawa-zutsumi saya). The kōgai and kozuka, executed in Yamagane copper alloy and decorated with Kara-hana designs, are mounted en suite. The Karaki wood hilt, Tsutsu-gane, Fuchi-kashira, Koiguchi fitting and Shitodome are all of Yamagane finished with brown lacquer, giving the mounting a richly aged appearance. Accompanied by: Kin-karakawa-zutsumi Saya Aikuchi Koshirae (reported and carried on page 63 of Edo no Tantō Koshirae Collection) Yamagane copper Habaki. Preserved in a Shirasaya. Old polish/Condition scale: very good (using a scale of mint-excellent-very good-good-fair-poor). references: Fujishiro Yoshio Nihon Tōkō Jiten, Yoshio Fujishiro, Fujishiro Shoten, 1975. Honma Junji/Ishii Masakuni Nihon Tō Meikan, Yūzankaku, 1975. Ide Masanobu/Ando Hideyuki Edo no Tantō Koshirae Collection, Ribun Publishing, 1 October 1997.
Offered by Sanmei
10 on 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 Muromachi period
The monasteries that had sustained Yamato lost ground through the Muromachi period, and the schools thinned with them; Sue-Tegai kept the old masame manner alive in quantity. The burning of Tōdaiji’s Great Buddha hall in 1567 closed the temple age.
A Hozon-certified blade judged to show notably superior workmanship and a better state of preservation. The bar is higher: re-tempered blades and most unsigned Muromachi/Edo works are excluded.
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.
NBTHK official siteFor a return, please contact us within 7 days of the item's arrival. If specification changes such as dimensions were made at the customer's request, a return cannot be accepted. Shipping and transfer fees are the customer's responsibility.
¥600,000
Certificate reading — 銘 則長