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.
NihontoWatchNihontoWatch刃長39.65センチ 反り0.84センチ 元幅27.5ミリ 元重ね6.5ミリ 物打幅23.9ミリ 物打重ね5.2ミリ 横手位置幅22.4ミリ 松葉先重ね4.9ミリ 裸身重量363グラム。 鎌倉末期 The last years of Kamakura era 昭和55年5月22日 東京都登録 附属 保存刀剣鑑定書、素銅地下貝銀着上貝金着はばき、白鞘 大和五派(当麻・保昌・手掻・尻懸・千手院)中、尻懸派は則長を事実上の祖として大いに繁栄した、現在の奈良県天理市岸田町尻懸の刀工郡で、尻懸との名の由来は大和神社の神輿が休息する為に設けられた四角い台石(尻懸石)からきています。 尻懸派の事実上の祖とされるのは、則弘の子と伝えられる初代則長で、文保三年(1319)48歳の行年銘が入った作品や暦応三年(1340)69歳の行年銘が入った作品が残されており、それによって逆算すると、文永9年の生まれであることが窺がえます。 この時期の大和物は地鉄が極めて精美な作が多く、尻懸派の特徴としては、鎬が高く、鎬幅広く、板目が流れごころで刃文は直刃基調ながら小互の目が連れて焼かれている点が挙げられます。 この刀は太刀或いは大太刀を大磨上にしたもので、切先が大きく延びた体配から、鎌倉時代最末期から南北朝初期にかけての作と鑑せられ、特筆すべき疵欠点無く、匂口明るく冴えた直刃には、大和気質を感じさせる解れ風の刃が交じり、互ノ目や互ノ目足も見られ、無銘ながらも見所満載の出来口。特別保存刀剣鑑定も容易く合格することでしょう。いずれは重要刀剣指定も目指したい名刀です 。 現在は伝尻懸と極められていますので、再度、上研磨を施して特別保存刀剣鑑定を御受審頂くと、極め変えも期待できそうです。 各種クレジットカード、ショッピングローンによる分割購入も承っております。お気軽にお申し付け下さい。
Certificate reading — 無銘（尻懸）
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Yamato-den · Yamato
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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.
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