-, 53rd Session — Designated October 24, 2007
, : province Saheibei-no-jō Naotsugu (直次)
Measurements 73.8 cm, 1.95 cm, 2.65 cm, 1.5 cm, 2.3 cm, 19.6 cm, 0.2 cm
Description Keijō: , ; standard with noticeable taper from base to tip; high ; relatively high curvature with marked ; . : mixed with , flowing in places; extremely fine ; fine ; mixed with mottled (-like) texture; faint appears. : narrow with extremely shallow , mixed with a -like tendency; enter; -predominant with areas where adheres well; fine ; along the appear uchi-noke and . : straight, forming , with a short turnback. : on both sides. : ; tip cut straight (); file marks ; two ; on the , from below the second down toward the tip of the tang, a long signature in fine chisel work is cut on the , and alongside it on the the date is cut in parallel; the date reads “Gentoku 2” with the remainder illegible.
Artisan Saheibei-no-jō Naotsugu of province (備中国住左兵衛尉直次)
Era Late period, Gentoku 2 (1330)
Explanation The early-eleventh-century travel account Sarugakki lists regional products from various provinces, and among them it specifically cites “ swords.” Two centuries later, smiths of the lineage emerged to inherit this high reputation, flourishing chiefly in the lower basin of the Takahashi River. Works by these makers are broadly divided into “” for those up through roughly the mid- period, and “” as a general designation for those thereafter through the period.
In terms of style, commonly produced small- workmanship, with in which the tends slightly toward (a subdued quality), often incorporating modest irregularities. By the late period the -attachment becomes calmer, and in -period works the tightens, giving rise to bright, clear as well as distinctive reverse- patterns.
Saheibei-no-jō Naotsugu is placed by sword-signature references as active around the Karyaku era, and dated examples are recorded from after Karyaku, including year inscriptions of Gentoku, Shōkei, and Kenmu. Together with smiths such as Yoshitsugu, he is counted among the representative craftsmen of the school from the close of the period into the period.
This displays a forging pattern of mixed with , with extremely fine , minute , and a mottled ground texture, while a faint is visible. The temper is a narrow with extremely shallow and a slight tendency, with and a predominantly structure in which adheres well in places—features that clearly express the characteristic manner of this school and time.
Although the carvings may be later additions, the blade is especially notable for the finely applied , and for uchi-noke and appearing along the , producing a deeply tasteful visual effect at the edge. Combined with its form—showing taper from base to tip, comparatively high curvature with , and a small point—the work achieves an elegant overall impression. Moreover, the appended official-title inscription “Saheibei-no-jō,” together with the Gentoku 2 date, constitutes valuable documentary material even within Naotsugu’s surviving oeuvre.
