This is a rare tanto with a bottom mei (signature) by Suketsugu, featuring a Mitsumune (shin no mune) construction. It is attributed to the late Muromachi period, though the specific province is undetermined. The blade exhibits a straight hamon with subtle gunome and notare, and a flowing itame hada. It comes in a shirasaya.
NihontoWatchmei · Muromachi · nagasa 25.6cm
Bizen-den · Bizen · Late Kamakura
2 pieces on the market now
Where Suketsugu 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.
Bizen-den · Bizen
Phase: Yoshioka Ichimonji吉岡一文字· 1288–1394
8 pieces on the market now
When the Fukuoka workshops gave way at the close of the thirteenth century, the Ichimonji line carried on at Yoshioka in Bizen, and the setsumei place this branch "in place of the Fukuoka Ichimonji," flourishing from the end of Kamakura into the Nanbokuchō era. The Yoshioka smiths shared the character suke (助) as a generational element, and the records name Sukemitsu, Sukeyoshi, Sukeshige, Suketsugu, Sukeyuki, Sukehide, and a second Sukeyoshi (助義). Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Sukemitsu助光 | 1299-1302 | 7 |
| Ichi一 | 1288-1293 | 3 |
| Sukeyoshi助吉 | 1303-1306 | 3 |
| Kageyasu景泰 | 1326-1329 | 0 |
| Tokisuke時助 | 1352-1356 | 0 |
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 site
This is a rare tanto with a bottom mei (signature) by Suketsugu, featuring a Mitsumune (shin no mune) construction. It is attributed to the late Muromachi period, though the specific province is undetermined. The blade exhibits a straight hamon with subtle gunome and notare, and a flowing itame hada. It comes in a shirasaya.
NihontoWatchmei · Muromachi · nagasa 25.6cm
Bizen-den · Bizen · Late Kamakura
2 pieces on the market now
Where Suketsugu 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.
Bizen-den · Bizen
Phase: Yoshioka Ichimonji吉岡一文字· 1288–1394
8 pieces on the market now
When the Fukuoka workshops gave way at the close of the thirteenth century, the Ichimonji line carried on at Yoshioka in Bizen, and the setsumei place this branch "in place of the Fukuoka Ichimonji," flourishing from the end of Kamakura into the Nanbokuchō era. The Yoshioka smiths shared the character suke (助) as a generational element, and the records name Sukemitsu, Sukeyoshi, Sukeshige, Suketsugu, Sukeyuki, Sukehide, and a second Sukeyoshi (助義). Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Sukemitsu助光 | 1299-1302 | 7 |
| Ichi一 | 1288-1293 | 3 |
| Sukeyoshi助吉 | 1303-1306 | 3 |
| Kageyasu景泰 | 1326-1329 | 0 |
| Tokisuke時助 | 1352-1356 | 0 |
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 site
