In the early Kamakura period, the founder of the Un-rui group exerted his utmost efforts to forge a sword by order of Retired Emperor Gotoba. However, unable to achieve his goal, he prayed fervently to the gods. One night, he saw spiritual clouds (reiun) drifting in the sky in a dream and received a great inspiration for his craftsmanship. He forged a tachi and presented it to Retired Emperor Gotoba, who was so pleased that he granted the words, "From now on, use the character for 'Cloud' (Un) in your name." Thus, this school came to be called the Un-rui. This Unju was the grandson of Unsho and was a master swordsmith around the Bunwa era (1352) of the Nanbokucho period (669 years ago). Unju resided in Ukamigo, Bizen Province. While the style is Bizen, the greatest characteristic of the Un-rui is a strong Yamashiro influence; indeed, this sword was originally handed down as a work by Rai Kunimitsu. This sword exhibits a naginata-naoshi shobu-zukuri sugata. The jigane is forged in ko-itame hada, and the shinogi is sharply shaved down, which is magnificent. The hamon is a suguha-style based on nioi with nie, manifesting ko-gunome, ko-midare, and the characteristic "kumo-no-iwata" (disjointed/overlapping ha) unique to the Un-rui, firing a splendidly archaic blade. On this occasion, we have received this piece from an old connoisseur with the request to pass it on to the next generation at a low price; therefore, we are offering it at a special discount. Since ancient times, it has been a teaching in sword kantei-kai that if one appraises a sword as a Rai work from Kyo-Yamashiro and the answer is different, one should then answer with a sword from the Un-rui. Please enjoy this rare masterpiece by Unju, which is seldom encountered.
NihontoWatchmumei · Bunna (1352-1356) ND · nagasa 61.4cm · sori 2cm
Bizen-den · Bizen
8 pieces on the market now
At Ukan-no-shō in Bizen Province, a place name later written Ukai, a small group of smiths worked from the close of the Kamakura period into the first decades of Nanbokuchō, every one of them setting the character Un, the cloud, at the head of his name; for that habit the published sources know them equally as the Ukai school and as the Unrui, the cloud group. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Unsho雲生 | 1303-1306 | 72 |
| Unji雲次 | 1315-1335 | 131 |
| Unju雲重 | 1352-1375 | 60 |
| Unsho雲生 | 1317-1319 | 0 |
| Morikage守景 | 1352-1356 | 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 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.
In the early Kamakura period, the founder of the Un-rui group exerted his utmost efforts to forge a sword by order of Retired Emperor Gotoba. However, unable to achieve his goal, he prayed fervently to the gods. One night, he saw spiritual clouds (reiun) drifting in the sky in a dream and received a great inspiration for his craftsmanship. He forged a tachi and presented it to Retired Emperor Gotoba, who was so pleased that he granted the words, "From now on, use the character for 'Cloud' (Un) in your name." Thus, this school came to be called the Un-rui. This Unju was the grandson of Unsho and was a master swordsmith around the Bunwa era (1352) of the Nanbokucho period (669 years ago). Unju resided in Ukamigo, Bizen Province. While the style is Bizen, the greatest characteristic of the Un-rui is a strong Yamashiro influence; indeed, this sword was originally handed down as a work by Rai Kunimitsu. This sword exhibits a naginata-naoshi shobu-zukuri sugata. The jigane is forged in ko-itame hada, and the shinogi is sharply shaved down, which is magnificent. The hamon is a suguha-style based on nioi with nie, manifesting ko-gunome, ko-midare, and the characteristic "kumo-no-iwata" (disjointed/overlapping ha) unique to the Un-rui, firing a splendidly archaic blade. On this occasion, we have received this piece from an old connoisseur with the request to pass it on to the next generation at a low price; therefore, we are offering it at a special discount. Since ancient times, it has been a teaching in sword kantei-kai that if one appraises a sword as a Rai work from Kyo-Yamashiro and the answer is different, one should then answer with a sword from the Un-rui. Please enjoy this rare masterpiece by Unju, which is seldom encountered.
NihontoWatchmumei · Bunna (1352-1356) ND · nagasa 61.4cm · sori 2cm
Bizen-den · Bizen
8 pieces on the market now
At Ukan-no-shō in Bizen Province, a place name later written Ukai, a small group of smiths worked from the close of the Kamakura period into the first decades of Nanbokuchō, every one of them setting the character Un, the cloud, at the head of his name; for that habit the published sources know them equally as the Ukai school and as the Unrui, the cloud group. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Unsho雲生 | 1303-1306 | 72 |
| Unji雲次 | 1315-1335 | 131 |
| Unju雲重 | 1352-1375 | 60 |
| Unsho雲生 | 1317-1319 | 0 |
| Morikage守景 | 1352-1356 | 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 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.
