This is a Tanto signed Norinaga, attributed to the fourth-generation smith of the Shikkake school in Yamato province, dating from the Nanbokucho through early Muromachi period. It features a Hira-zukuri construction with a slight Takenoko-zori and a ko-nie-deki Suguha hamon. The blade comes with an elegant Aikuchi koshirae decorated with a Momoyama-style Kara-hana motif and a gilt kara-kawa leather scabbard, and is accompanied by an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon certificate.
Certificate reading — 銘 則長
NihontoWatchBETAmei · Shikkake · Muromachi · nagasa 23.2cm
Yamato-den · Yamato
15 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. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Norinaga則長 | 1317-1319 | 45 |
| Norinari則成 | 1312-1317 | 0 |
| Nagamitsu長光 | 1233-1234 | 0 |
| Sukehiro助弘 | 1308-1311 | 0 |
| Norisada則貞 | 1428-1429 | 0 |
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.
This is a Tanto signed Norinaga, attributed to the fourth-generation smith of the Shikkake school in Yamato province, dating from the Nanbokucho through early Muromachi period. It features a Hira-zukuri construction with a slight Takenoko-zori and a ko-nie-deki Suguha hamon. The blade comes with an elegant Aikuchi koshirae decorated with a Momoyama-style Kara-hana motif and a gilt kara-kawa leather scabbard, and is accompanied by an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon certificate.
Certificate reading — 銘 則長
NihontoWatchBETAmei · Shikkake · Muromachi · nagasa 23.2cm
Yamato-den · Yamato
15 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. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Norinaga則長 | 1317-1319 | 45 |
| Norinari則成 | 1312-1317 | 0 |
| Nagamitsu長光 | 1233-1234 | 0 |
| Sukehiro助弘 | 1308-1311 | 0 |
| Norisada則貞 | 1428-1429 | 0 |
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.
