Weight of the toshin alone is a healthy 818g. A surprising and precious tachi from the Kamakura period has appeared. Its original dimensions when first made were a grand 2 shaku 6 sun; it is an old and valuable Kamakura period tachi. Because it is mumei, it was attributed to the land of Wake, located about 7 kilometers north of Bizen no Kuni Osafune. There was a master swordsmith who signed as Bizen no Kuni Wake-ju Shigenori. The era is the late Kamakura period, around Shochu (1324) (701 years ago), an ancient era when the Shochu Incident occurred—Emperor Go-Daigo's first plan to overthrow the Kamakura Shogunate. This tachi was originally a long 2 shaku 6 sun blade that became mumei because a later warrior shortened it to use as his own sashiryo. Because it is kenzen, it still retains the Bizen koshi-zori sugata, with a thick moto-kasane and a significant difference between the moto-mihaba and saki-mihaba, manifesting the grand tachi sugata of the Kamakura period. The jigane is a tightly packed ko-itame hada with fine ji-nie, and a midare-utsuri appears in the ji, giving it great character. The hamon is nioi-deki with ko-nie, consisting of gunome, ko-midare, and ko-choji mixed into a sugu-ha style with aligned heads and elegant sakasa-ashi. The greatest characteristic of Bizen Wake is forging swords that, while being Bizen, look like the Rai school of Kyo. On the mune, one can see traces of tansetsu (weld lines) due to the mekuri-kitae and changes over the years, but this is evidence of its very, very old age from the Kamakura period. Please enjoy this wonderful and kenzen Kamakura period tachi, attributed as highly precious Bizen no Kuni Wake.
NihontoWatchBETAmumei · Kamakura · nagasa 69.6cm · sori 2.1cm
Bizen-den · Bizen
1 piece on the market now
Among the swordsmiths of late Kamakura Bizen, the setsumei place the Wake group at Wake-shō (和気庄), a manor in Bizen Province, and the names that recur across the blades are two: Shigenori (重則) and Shigesuke (重助). Their working dates are fixed by surviving signed and dated pieces, with Shigenori represented by inscriptions of Genkō 4 (1324), Shōchū 3 (1326) and Karyaku 3 (1328), and Shigesuke by a Karyaku 1 (1326) tantō and a Karyaku 3 (1328) tachi. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Shigesuke重助 | 1326-1329 | 12 |
| Shigenori重則 | 1324-1326 | 4 |
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.
Weight of the toshin alone is a healthy 818g. A surprising and precious tachi from the Kamakura period has appeared. Its original dimensions when first made were a grand 2 shaku 6 sun; it is an old and valuable Kamakura period tachi. Because it is mumei, it was attributed to the land of Wake, located about 7 kilometers north of Bizen no Kuni Osafune. There was a master swordsmith who signed as Bizen no Kuni Wake-ju Shigenori. The era is the late Kamakura period, around Shochu (1324) (701 years ago), an ancient era when the Shochu Incident occurred—Emperor Go-Daigo's first plan to overthrow the Kamakura Shogunate. This tachi was originally a long 2 shaku 6 sun blade that became mumei because a later warrior shortened it to use as his own sashiryo. Because it is kenzen, it still retains the Bizen koshi-zori sugata, with a thick moto-kasane and a significant difference between the moto-mihaba and saki-mihaba, manifesting the grand tachi sugata of the Kamakura period. The jigane is a tightly packed ko-itame hada with fine ji-nie, and a midare-utsuri appears in the ji, giving it great character. The hamon is nioi-deki with ko-nie, consisting of gunome, ko-midare, and ko-choji mixed into a sugu-ha style with aligned heads and elegant sakasa-ashi. The greatest characteristic of Bizen Wake is forging swords that, while being Bizen, look like the Rai school of Kyo. On the mune, one can see traces of tansetsu (weld lines) due to the mekuri-kitae and changes over the years, but this is evidence of its very, very old age from the Kamakura period. Please enjoy this wonderful and kenzen Kamakura period tachi, attributed as highly precious Bizen no Kuni Wake.
NihontoWatchBETAmumei · Kamakura · nagasa 69.6cm · sori 2.1cm
Bizen-den · Bizen
1 piece on the market now
Among the swordsmiths of late Kamakura Bizen, the setsumei place the Wake group at Wake-shō (和気庄), a manor in Bizen Province, and the names that recur across the blades are two: Shigenori (重則) and Shigesuke (重助). Their working dates are fixed by surviving signed and dated pieces, with Shigenori represented by inscriptions of Genkō 4 (1324), Shōchū 3 (1326) and Karyaku 3 (1328), and Shigesuke by a Karyaku 1 (1326) tantō and a Karyaku 3 (1328) tachi. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Shigesuke重助 | 1326-1329 | 12 |
| Shigenori重則 | 1324-1326 | 4 |
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.
