The Yamato schools grew up in the shadow of Nara’s great monasteries: Tegai took its name from a gate of Tōdaiji. Their austere masame and quiet suguha are a temple aesthetic, prized ever since for exactly that restraint.
NihontoWatchNihontoWatchIt has appeared, it has appeared, the healthy famous tanto of great popularity by Washu Ju Norinaga (Shikkake Norinaga) from the land of Yamato of the Asuka and Fujiwara palaces, which were registered as a World Cultural Heritage site in July 2026 and are currently at the peak of popularity, and which was exhibited in the famous sword exhibition in Nara last year. Among the famous Yamato Kamakura period groups known as the five Yamato schools—Senjuin, Taima, Shikkake, Hosho, and Tegai—this Shikkake Norinaga is extremely famous as the representative swordsmith of the Shikkake school. This tanto is a famous tanto by Shikkake Norinaga from the old era of the Muromachi period around Eisho (1504) (522 years ago), corresponding to the 4th generation of Shikkake Norinaga. This tanto shows a grand and healthy good tanto sugata in hira-zukuri with a wide moto-mihaba and slightly extended dimensions; the jigane is a bright and powerful good jigane with itame-hada well-tightened and masame-hada flowing, showing many chikei in the ji, and the horimono is skillful and magnificent with a suken carved on the omote and take-kurabe futasu-hi carved on the ura. The hamon is nioi-deki with konie, the omote is a suguha-style blade mixed with togari-gunome, and the ura is a slightly notare-midare blade mixed with the Yamato-den nijuba, showing many kinsuji within the ha and tempering a magnificent and spirited blade. The luxurious Edo period tanto koshirae is also a wonderful issaku-koshirae with a design of sparrows and ears of rice representing a bountiful harvest, abundance, and wealth, further adding splendor to this healthy Shikkake Norinaga tanto. In the Edo period, it decorated the waist of high-ranking busho of the daimyo class. Zaimei tanto by Yamato Shikkake Norinaga are extremely few, and together with the koshirae, it is a wonderful and precious tanto. Because we received this on consignment from an old devotee who said, "I have also grown old, so please pass this on at a low price to someone who will cherish it," and although it has been said since ancient times that a tanto is half the price of a daito, we are offering it this time at a special, ultra-cheap price. Please by all means enjoy this famous tanto by the famous swordsmith Shikkake Norinaga of the land of Yamato, whose popularity is rising more and more due to the World Cultural Heritage status.
Offered by Nipponto
10 on the market
As written by the shop
Machine translation from the shop's Japanese · may contain errors ·
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 Kamakura period
The Yamato schools grew up in the shadow of Nara’s great monasteries: Tegai took its name from a gate of Tōdaiji. Their austere masame and quiet suguha are a temple aesthetic, prized ever since for exactly that restraint.
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.
NBTHK official siteFor returns due to customer circumstances, the cost is the customer's responsibility. For returns due to our mis-shipment or a defective item, we bear the cost.
¥750,000
Certificate reading — 銘 和州住則長