Moto-Sueyuki was a *tosho* of the early Kamakura period, around the Jokyu era (1219) (800 years ago), contemporary with Yamashiro Ayanokoji Sadatoshi. This *tachi* features a *ko-kissaki* with strong *koshi-zori* and *funbari* at the *moto*, with the *saki* curving inward (*fuse-kokoro*). The *nakago* is in the *kijimata* style, exhibiting the quintessential form of early *nihonto*. The *jigane* is a finely packed *ko-itame hada* with fine *ji-nie*, and a gorgeous *midare-utsuri* appears on the *ji*. The *hamon* is in *ko-nie deki*, consisting of *ko-midare* mixed with *ko-choji* and *ko-gunome*, with a tendency for the *midare* to become dense. The *nioiguchi* follows the *okite* (conventions) with some *urumu* areas, and the *hachu* contains *kinsuji* and *sunagashi*. It is believed he was a smith of the Sanjo Munechika or Gojo Kanenaga lineage who came to reside in Ayanokoji, eventually becoming known by the alternative name Ayanokoji Suenaga. This lineage later connects to Rai Kuniyuki. The *Tensho koshirae* adds further splendor to this Ayanokoji Sueyuki *tachi*. While Kanzan Sensei attributed it to Ko-Bizen in his *sayagaki*, an attribution to the Yamashiro Kyo-no-Miyako *tachi* is more appropriate for Moto-Sueyuki; this is a *tachi* that should have been designated *Juyo Token* a long time ago. As it has emerged into the world for the first time from a connoisseur (*sukisha*), we are offering it at a special price.
NihontoWatchKamakura · nagasa 76.4cm · sori 2.8cm
Yamashiro-den · Yamashiro · around 1303-1306
2 pieces on the market now
Working in the Kyoto Yamashiro tradition around the Kagen era of the late Kamakura period, Sueyuki (末行) belonged to the Ayanokoji group, the early Kyoto school whose style is represented by Sadatoshi. The NBTHK setsumei note that the name "Sueyuki" appears in the meikan across several unrelated lineages (Ayanokoji, Senjuin, Taima, Ko-Bizen, and Ko-Aoe), but the workmanship of these blades, in jigane, hamon, and signature manner, places this smith firmly within the Ayanokoji group. The references describe him as a follower of Ayanokoji Sadatoshi, and one setsumei connects the quality of the jiba and overall bearing to Sadayoshi of the same group, inheriting the classically archaic style of the line.
The forging is itame-hada, in places tending toward hada-dachi or mixed with mokume, o-itame, and a jifu-like grain; fine ji-nie adheres thickly, and a standing nie-utsuri (or jifu-utsuri) is a recurring feature typical of Kyo-mono. The hamon is founded on suguha-cho mixed with ko-midare, ko-gunome, ko-choji-like forms, and shallow notare, with ashi and yo entering and a bright nioiguchi. Nie covers the habuchi, which shows hotsure, small tobiyaki, and yubashiri that in places produce a nijuba-like impression, while kinsuji and sunagashi run as reliable hataraki. The boshi varies from straight with maru and slight hakikake to midare-komi tending toward yakizume. Sugata is an elegant tachi with high koshizori and remaining funbari.
For collectors, the decisive kantei points are the Kyo character of the work: the densely adhering fine ji-nie raising nie-utsuri, the reverse-slanting (saka-gakari, Kyo-saka-ashi) tendency of the irregularities toward the point, and the wazori-like curvature that separates this hand from Bizen and Bicchu production. Extant signed works are few, so the surviving two-character mei examples carry particular weight, and even the mumei ubu-tang tachi is valued as the piece that should most properly be appraised as Sueyuki. One signed tachi is traditionally said to have been formerly owned by the Mizoguchi family, lords of the Shibata domain.
Where Sueyuki stands among comparable artisans: across all of nihontō, and within tradition, era, and period. The tiers (Foremost · Leading · Major · Notable) weigh official designations from the NBTHK and Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs, together with historical honors of lasting repute such as the Sansaku and Meibutsu-chō.
Select a lens to see how it's measured.
Yamashiro-den · Yamashiro
9 pieces on the market now
The Ayanokoji school (綾小路) takes its name from the swordsmiths who lived along Ayanokoji street in the Shijo quarter of Kyoto, and the published sources count it, with Awataguchi and Rai, among the three lineages of Yamashiro-den smiths of the Kamakura period. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Sadatoshi定利 | 1232-1233 | 42 |
| Sueyuki末行 | 1303-1306 | 3 |
| Sadanari定業 | 1278-1288 | 0 |
| Sadanori定則 | 1299-1302 | 0 |
| Kuninobu國信 | 1334-1338 | 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.
Moto-Sueyuki was a *tosho* of the early Kamakura period, around the Jokyu era (1219) (800 years ago), contemporary with Yamashiro Ayanokoji Sadatoshi. This *tachi* features a *ko-kissaki* with strong *koshi-zori* and *funbari* at the *moto*, with the *saki* curving inward (*fuse-kokoro*). The *nakago* is in the *kijimata* style, exhibiting the quintessential form of early *nihonto*. The *jigane* is a finely packed *ko-itame hada* with fine *ji-nie*, and a gorgeous *midare-utsuri* appears on the *ji*. The *hamon* is in *ko-nie deki*, consisting of *ko-midare* mixed with *ko-choji* and *ko-gunome*, with a tendency for the *midare* to become dense. The *nioiguchi* follows the *okite* (conventions) with some *urumu* areas, and the *hachu* contains *kinsuji* and *sunagashi*. It is believed he was a smith of the Sanjo Munechika or Gojo Kanenaga lineage who came to reside in Ayanokoji, eventually becoming known by the alternative name Ayanokoji Suenaga. This lineage later connects to Rai Kuniyuki. The *Tensho koshirae* adds further splendor to this Ayanokoji Sueyuki *tachi*. While Kanzan Sensei attributed it to Ko-Bizen in his *sayagaki*, an attribution to the Yamashiro Kyo-no-Miyako *tachi* is more appropriate for Moto-Sueyuki; this is a *tachi* that should have been designated *Juyo Token* a long time ago. As it has emerged into the world for the first time from a connoisseur (*sukisha*), we are offering it at a special price.
NihontoWatchKamakura · nagasa 76.4cm · sori 2.8cm
Yamashiro-den · Yamashiro · around 1303-1306
2 pieces on the market now
Working in the Kyoto Yamashiro tradition around the Kagen era of the late Kamakura period, Sueyuki (末行) belonged to the Ayanokoji group, the early Kyoto school whose style is represented by Sadatoshi. The NBTHK setsumei note that the name "Sueyuki" appears in the meikan across several unrelated lineages (Ayanokoji, Senjuin, Taima, Ko-Bizen, and Ko-Aoe), but the workmanship of these blades, in jigane, hamon, and signature manner, places this smith firmly within the Ayanokoji group. The references describe him as a follower of Ayanokoji Sadatoshi, and one setsumei connects the quality of the jiba and overall bearing to Sadayoshi of the same group, inheriting the classically archaic style of the line.
The forging is itame-hada, in places tending toward hada-dachi or mixed with mokume, o-itame, and a jifu-like grain; fine ji-nie adheres thickly, and a standing nie-utsuri (or jifu-utsuri) is a recurring feature typical of Kyo-mono. The hamon is founded on suguha-cho mixed with ko-midare, ko-gunome, ko-choji-like forms, and shallow notare, with ashi and yo entering and a bright nioiguchi. Nie covers the habuchi, which shows hotsure, small tobiyaki, and yubashiri that in places produce a nijuba-like impression, while kinsuji and sunagashi run as reliable hataraki. The boshi varies from straight with maru and slight hakikake to midare-komi tending toward yakizume. Sugata is an elegant tachi with high koshizori and remaining funbari.
For collectors, the decisive kantei points are the Kyo character of the work: the densely adhering fine ji-nie raising nie-utsuri, the reverse-slanting (saka-gakari, Kyo-saka-ashi) tendency of the irregularities toward the point, and the wazori-like curvature that separates this hand from Bizen and Bicchu production. Extant signed works are few, so the surviving two-character mei examples carry particular weight, and even the mumei ubu-tang tachi is valued as the piece that should most properly be appraised as Sueyuki. One signed tachi is traditionally said to have been formerly owned by the Mizoguchi family, lords of the Shibata domain.
Where Sueyuki stands among comparable artisans: across all of nihontō, and within tradition, era, and period. The tiers (Foremost · Leading · Major · Notable) weigh official designations from the NBTHK and Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs, together with historical honors of lasting repute such as the Sansaku and Meibutsu-chō.
Select a lens to see how it's measured.
Yamashiro-den · Yamashiro
9 pieces on the market now
The Ayanokoji school (綾小路) takes its name from the swordsmiths who lived along Ayanokoji street in the Shijo quarter of Kyoto, and the published sources count it, with Awataguchi and Rai, among the three lineages of Yamashiro-den smiths of the Kamakura period. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Sadatoshi定利 | 1232-1233 | 42 |
| Sueyuki末行 | 1303-1306 | 3 |
| Sadanari定業 | 1278-1288 | 0 |
| Sadanori定則 | 1299-1302 | 0 |
| Kuninobu國信 | 1334-1338 | 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.
