Around 1800 Suishinshi Masahide argued in his writings that the craft must return to the old masters’ methods: the fukkotō revival. His greatest successor Naotane worked convincingly in Bizen and Sōshū manners that had been dead for centuries.
Weight (excluding saya): 1114g It has arrived, it has arrived! A meito by Tegarayama Kai no Kami Masashige, the most skilled smith among the Ujishige lineage (formerly Banshu Tegarayama Ujishige), famous as the favored smith of Nagakura Shinpachi, Captain of the Shinsengumi 2nd Unit. Nagakura Shinpachi, Captain of the Shinsengumi 2nd Unit, was active on the front lines of the Shinsengumi starting with the Ikedaya Incident and is famous as one of the group's greatest swordsmen. In his later years, he opened a kenjutsu dojo called "Bunbukan" in Ushigome, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, to provide swordsmanship instruction to the youth. Around the age of 76, at the request of students from Hokkaido Imperial University, he traveled to Sapporo to demonstrate kenjutsu kata. The smith of this katana, Tegarayama Ujishige, was born in Himeji in the 10th year of Horeki (1760) (266 years ago). He became the 6th generation Tegarayama Ujishige, initially signing his mei as Ujishige (氏重) or Ujishige (氏繁), and also crafted swords in Osaka around the Tenmei era. In the 8th year of Tenmei (1788) (238 years ago) at the age of 28, his skill as a swordsmith was recognized by Shirakawa Hakuo (Matsudaira Sadanobu). He was taken into service with an extraordinary high stipend for the time of 500 koku (equivalent to an annual salary of 100 million yen today) and moved to Edo, where he forged blades in Kanda Surugadai and Hatchobori. On April 5th, the 3rd year of Kyowa (1803) (223 years ago), he received the title of Kai no Kami. This katana was made the following year, the 1st year of Bunka (1804) (222 years ago), when he was 44 years old. The sugata of this katana shows a fine form with a distinct difference between the moto-mihaba and saki-mihaba. The jigane is a well-tightened ko-itame hada, forged into a bright steel. The hamon is a bright, magnificent suguha-style tempered in nioi-deki with ko-nie. The koshirae is an Edo-period mounting adorned with a kamon, adding further elegance to this sword. This sword has been cherished for generations in an old family, but as they have grown old, we have been entrusted to pass it on at a low price to someone who will treasure it. Therefore, we are offering this katana by the Bakumatsu master smith Tegarayama Kai no Kami Masashige—associated with Shinsengumi 2nd Unit Captain Nagakura Shinpachi—at a special bargain price, as there is some light rust due to age. Please do enjoy it.
NihontoWatchmumei · Edo · nagasa 70cm · sori 0.9cm
Shinshinto · Harima
6 pieces on the market now
At the foot of Mount Tegara in Himeji, Harima province, a family of smiths took the mountain's name as their own across successive generations, descending from the first-generation Yamato no Daijō Fujiwara Ujishige. The setsumei trace this Banshū line through its best-documented figure, Tegarayama Masashige[[c:1]], commonly called Asashichi or Chōshichi and using the art name Tankasai. He was the younger brother of the third-generation Tegarayama Ujishige, first succeeded to the name of the fourth-generation Ujishige, and only later changed his signature to Masashige. In Tenmei 8 (1788) he entered the service of Matsudaira Sadanobu, lord of Shirakawa in Ōshū, as a retained smith (kakae-kaji) and moved to Edo, where he resided at Surugadai in Kanda; in the fourth month of Kyōwa 3 (1803) he received the honorary title Kai no Kami. One setsumei records that in Edo he studied under Suishinshi Masahide. Around the start of the Bunsei era he forged for a time in Osaka before returning to Edo, and from his lord Rakuō he was granted the two characters "Shinmyō," which he cut on the works he held most successful. The hand the setsumei describe is a Soshu-toned revival built on the tōran-midare of Tsuda Echizen no Kami Sukehiro, whose style Masashige privately admired (shishuku). The forging runs to tightly compacted ko-itame-hada with ji-nie adhering thickly, fine chikei entering, and at times a quiet near-muji ground; the steel reads clear.
Most blades open with a suguha or sugu yakidashi at the base and then rise into a billowing tōran-style large gunome-midare, mixed with notare, slightly pointed (togari-gokoro) elements, and arrow-nock (yahazu) shapes likened to surging waves. The temper carries deep nioi, evenly adhering ko-nie, ashi and yō, with sunagashi and kinsuji threading the edge and tobiyaki, yubashiri, and muneyaki breaking out above it; the nioiguchi tends bright. The bōshi is generally sugu ending in ko-maru, sometimes with hakikake and a long kaeri. Beyond this signature manner he also worked shallow notare of wide yakihaba and plain suguha, so the orderly large gunome that refuses to collapse, the pointed accents within the ha, and the wide mihaba of his forms serve as the readiest marks of his work. Across the register the kantei points cluster around that controlled tōran and its lively ji and ha, while one wakizashi, mingling yahazu into the edge, prompts the observation that Gonnoshin Terukane may also have been in mind. Self-carved horimono recur and aid attribution: jewel-chasing and ascending or descending dragons, bonji, the sankō-tsuka-ken, and hi, with tangs reading "hori dōsaku" to record the smith's own chisel. Several inscriptions carry documentary weight, naming Surugadai and Shundai in Buyō as places of forging, Ishū Dewa iron also used by Katayama Munetsugu, and a commission for Kosugi Tamenaga, a retainer of the Koga domain; a Juyo wakizashi signed "Ōshū Shirakawa kashin Masashige" bears self-cut dragon, bonji, and sankō-tsuka-ken recorded on its tang. The blades signed with bold, thick-chisel mei over ubu tangs finished in keshō ō-sujikai, dated through the Kansei and Kyōwa years, mark Tegarayama as a Himeji-rooted shinshintō line whose strength lay in the recreation of Sukehiro's waves. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Masashige正繁 | 1789-1801 | 13 |
| Ujishige氏繁 | 1751-1764 | 0 |
| Ujishige氏繁 | 1781-1789 | 0 |
| Ujishige氏繁 | 1789-1801 | 0 |
| Masanao正直 | 1804-1818 | 0 |
The Shinshintō revival
Around 1800 Suishinshi Masahide argued in his writings that the craft must return to the old masters’ methods: the fukkotō revival. His greatest successor Naotane worked convincingly in Bizen and Sōshū manners that had been dead for centuries.
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.
¥1,200,000
Weight (excluding saya): 1114g It has arrived, it has arrived! A meito by Tegarayama Kai no Kami Masashige, the most skilled smith among the Ujishige lineage (formerly Banshu Tegarayama Ujishige), famous as the favored smith of Nagakura Shinpachi, Captain of the Shinsengumi 2nd Unit. Nagakura Shinpachi, Captain of the Shinsengumi 2nd Unit, was active on the front lines of the Shinsengumi starting with the Ikedaya Incident and is famous as one of the group's greatest swordsmen. In his later years, he opened a kenjutsu dojo called "Bunbukan" in Ushigome, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, to provide swordsmanship instruction to the youth. Around the age of 76, at the request of students from Hokkaido Imperial University, he traveled to Sapporo to demonstrate kenjutsu kata. The smith of this katana, Tegarayama Ujishige, was born in Himeji in the 10th year of Horeki (1760) (266 years ago). He became the 6th generation Tegarayama Ujishige, initially signing his mei as Ujishige (氏重) or Ujishige (氏繁), and also crafted swords in Osaka around the Tenmei era. In the 8th year of Tenmei (1788) (238 years ago) at the age of 28, his skill as a swordsmith was recognized by Shirakawa Hakuo (Matsudaira Sadanobu). He was taken into service with an extraordinary high stipend for the time of 500 koku (equivalent to an annual salary of 100 million yen today) and moved to Edo, where he forged blades in Kanda Surugadai and Hatchobori. On April 5th, the 3rd year of Kyowa (1803) (223 years ago), he received the title of Kai no Kami. This katana was made the following year, the 1st year of Bunka (1804) (222 years ago), when he was 44 years old. The sugata of this katana shows a fine form with a distinct difference between the moto-mihaba and saki-mihaba. The jigane is a well-tightened ko-itame hada, forged into a bright steel. The hamon is a bright, magnificent suguha-style tempered in nioi-deki with ko-nie. The koshirae is an Edo-period mounting adorned with a kamon, adding further elegance to this sword. This sword has been cherished for generations in an old family, but as they have grown old, we have been entrusted to pass it on at a low price to someone who will treasure it. Therefore, we are offering this katana by the Bakumatsu master smith Tegarayama Kai no Kami Masashige—associated with Shinsengumi 2nd Unit Captain Nagakura Shinpachi—at a special bargain price, as there is some light rust due to age. Please do enjoy it.
NihontoWatchmumei · Edo · nagasa 70cm · sori 0.9cm
Shinshinto · Harima
6 pieces on the market now
At the foot of Mount Tegara in Himeji, Harima province, a family of smiths took the mountain's name as their own across successive generations, descending from the first-generation Yamato no Daijō Fujiwara Ujishige. The setsumei trace this Banshū line through its best-documented figure, Tegarayama Masashige[[c:1]], commonly called Asashichi or Chōshichi and using the art name Tankasai. He was the younger brother of the third-generation Tegarayama Ujishige, first succeeded to the name of the fourth-generation Ujishige, and only later changed his signature to Masashige. In Tenmei 8 (1788) he entered the service of Matsudaira Sadanobu, lord of Shirakawa in Ōshū, as a retained smith (kakae-kaji) and moved to Edo, where he resided at Surugadai in Kanda; in the fourth month of Kyōwa 3 (1803) he received the honorary title Kai no Kami. One setsumei records that in Edo he studied under Suishinshi Masahide. Around the start of the Bunsei era he forged for a time in Osaka before returning to Edo, and from his lord Rakuō he was granted the two characters "Shinmyō," which he cut on the works he held most successful. The hand the setsumei describe is a Soshu-toned revival built on the tōran-midare of Tsuda Echizen no Kami Sukehiro, whose style Masashige privately admired (shishuku). The forging runs to tightly compacted ko-itame-hada with ji-nie adhering thickly, fine chikei entering, and at times a quiet near-muji ground; the steel reads clear.
Most blades open with a suguha or sugu yakidashi at the base and then rise into a billowing tōran-style large gunome-midare, mixed with notare, slightly pointed (togari-gokoro) elements, and arrow-nock (yahazu) shapes likened to surging waves. The temper carries deep nioi, evenly adhering ko-nie, ashi and yō, with sunagashi and kinsuji threading the edge and tobiyaki, yubashiri, and muneyaki breaking out above it; the nioiguchi tends bright. The bōshi is generally sugu ending in ko-maru, sometimes with hakikake and a long kaeri. Beyond this signature manner he also worked shallow notare of wide yakihaba and plain suguha, so the orderly large gunome that refuses to collapse, the pointed accents within the ha, and the wide mihaba of his forms serve as the readiest marks of his work. Across the register the kantei points cluster around that controlled tōran and its lively ji and ha, while one wakizashi, mingling yahazu into the edge, prompts the observation that Gonnoshin Terukane may also have been in mind. Self-carved horimono recur and aid attribution: jewel-chasing and ascending or descending dragons, bonji, the sankō-tsuka-ken, and hi, with tangs reading "hori dōsaku" to record the smith's own chisel. Several inscriptions carry documentary weight, naming Surugadai and Shundai in Buyō as places of forging, Ishū Dewa iron also used by Katayama Munetsugu, and a commission for Kosugi Tamenaga, a retainer of the Koga domain; a Juyo wakizashi signed "Ōshū Shirakawa kashin Masashige" bears self-cut dragon, bonji, and sankō-tsuka-ken recorded on its tang. The blades signed with bold, thick-chisel mei over ubu tangs finished in keshō ō-sujikai, dated through the Kansei and Kyōwa years, mark Tegarayama as a Himeji-rooted shinshintō line whose strength lay in the recreation of Sukehiro's waves. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Masashige正繁 | 1789-1801 | 13 |
| Ujishige氏繁 | 1751-1764 | 0 |
| Ujishige氏繁 | 1781-1789 | 0 |
| Ujishige氏繁 | 1789-1801 | 0 |
| Masanao正直 | 1804-1818 | 0 |
The Shinshintō revival
Around 1800 Suishinshi Masahide argued in his writings that the craft must return to the old masters’ methods: the fukkotō revival. His greatest successor Naotane worked convincingly in Bizen and Sōshū manners that had been dead for centuries.
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.
¥1,200,000
