After the Ōnin War broke the Ashikaga order, a century of Sengoku warfare armed nearly every province in Japan. The era rewards a discriminating eye: routine work exists in quantity, and beside it stand custom blades of the first rank.
It has arrived, it has arrived—a *yoroidoshi* *tanto* by Bushu Shimohara Terushige, handed down as a *Sanada-ke denrai* (Sanada family heirloom). Terushige was the head smith of the Shimohara smiths in Hachioji, Bushu. His real name was Yamamoto Genjiro. He was the second son of the first generation Bushu Shimohara Chikashige and originally used the *mei* Yamamoto Nagato Chikashige, but after being granted the character "Teru" from the Hachioji Castle lord Hojo Ujiteru of the Hojo clan, he changed his name to Terushige. The period is the Muromachi era, around the Eiroku era (1560) (464 years ago), a work from exactly the time of the Battle of Okehazama, when Oda Nobunaga defeated Imagawa Yoshimoto and set out to unify the realm. This *tanto* exhibits a sharp *yoroidoshi* *sugata* with a thick *motokasane* and thin *sakikasane*. The *jigane* is forged in *ko-itame hada* with faint *o-itame hada* resembling *jorin-moku* appearing near the *moto*. The *hamon* is a skillfully baked *gunome-midare* in *nioi-deki* with *ko-nie*. The elegant *koshirae*, featuring *menuki* with the *Musubi-Karigane* (tied wild goose) family crest said to be handed down through the Sanada family, adds further splendor to this Terushige *tanto*. On this occasion, an elderly connoisseur has entrusted this to us, saying, "I have grown old, so please pass this work, which has been handed down as a Terushige *tanto* of the Sanada family, to a successor at a low price as it has not yet undergone formal *shinsa* (appraisal)." For this reason, we are offering it at a special bargain price. Please do enjoy it.
NihontoWatchden · Muromachi · nagasa 24.2cm
Shinto · Musashi · around 1558-1570
Fujishiro Jo saku · Tōken Taikan top 49%
1 piece on the market now
Where Terushige 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.
Shinto · Musashi
13 pieces on the market now
The Shitahara group (下原) worked at Hachiōji in Bushū, the old province of Musashi, from the end of the Muromachi period and carried its forge on into the Edo period. The setsumei place the lineage among the swordmakers of Musashi in the kotō age and name Terushige, Yasushige, Hiroshige, and Chikashige as its leading hands, with the meikan recording Terushige across three generations: a shodai in Kyōroku, a nidai in Eiroku, and a sandai in Tenshō. " That same blade was made to order, in this case from Hagiwara Kaminao of Kōshū, marking the group as a working provincial forge serving its region. In the forging the setsumei return repeatedly to an itame-hada freely mixed with mokume that stands up rather than lying flat, the grain described as hada-datsu, often running to nagare near the edge and taking on an ayasugi-like, whorled or vortex-like cast in the jigane. The temper is a moderately undulating notare into which gunome enter, frequently in regular paired sequences, with pointed togariba, a chōji-like feeling at times, and ko-nie clinging along a nioiguchi that can settle into a subdued shizumi tone; sunagashi and ashi appear within the ha, and the bōshi tends to run midare-komi and turn back in maru. One katana shows a wet-looking nureba surface with angular irregularities and hakikake.
The setsumei read this hand as a synthesis drawing on late Sōshū and the Muramasa line together with late Mino tendencies, which together account for the standing grain and the paired gunome. For kantei the markers are consistent: the risen mokume with its ayasugi turn, the regularly paired gunome, and a build suited to the uchigatana of the closing Muromachi years, often with pronounced sakizori and an extended chū-kissaki. Carving recurs, including bō-hi, bonji, gomabashi, and a deeply cut kurikara-ryū whose coiling tail the NBTHK singles out as characteristic. Named and dated pieces anchor the group: the Yamamoto Genjirō Terushige naginata, uncommon as a double-edged ryōba form, and a Terushige katana appraised between Eiroku and Tenshō that the register calls the hakubi of the school. The setsumei note that Shitahara work survives in number into the shintō period while outstanding examples remain few, which sets these designated blades apart within the lineage. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Terushige照重 | 1558-1570 | 2 |
| Terushige照重 | 1596-1615 | 1 |
| Yasushige康重 | 1558-1570 | 1 |
| Morishige盛重 | 1661-1673 | 0 |
| Yasushige康重 | 1661-1704 | 0 |
After the Ōnin War broke the Ashikaga order, a century of Sengoku warfare armed nearly every province in Japan. The era rewards a discriminating eye: routine work exists in quantity, and beside it stand custom blades of the first rank.
We could not find an authenticity certificate on the seller’s listing. Japanese swords and fittings are normally papered by the NBTHK (or the NTHK). Without one, the attribution is the seller’s own assessment and has not been independently verified — treat it with caution and ask the dealer about certification before buying.
For 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.
It has arrived, it has arrived—a *yoroidoshi* *tanto* by Bushu Shimohara Terushige, handed down as a *Sanada-ke denrai* (Sanada family heirloom). Terushige was the head smith of the Shimohara smiths in Hachioji, Bushu. His real name was Yamamoto Genjiro. He was the second son of the first generation Bushu Shimohara Chikashige and originally used the *mei* Yamamoto Nagato Chikashige, but after being granted the character "Teru" from the Hachioji Castle lord Hojo Ujiteru of the Hojo clan, he changed his name to Terushige. The period is the Muromachi era, around the Eiroku era (1560) (464 years ago), a work from exactly the time of the Battle of Okehazama, when Oda Nobunaga defeated Imagawa Yoshimoto and set out to unify the realm. This *tanto* exhibits a sharp *yoroidoshi* *sugata* with a thick *motokasane* and thin *sakikasane*. The *jigane* is forged in *ko-itame hada* with faint *o-itame hada* resembling *jorin-moku* appearing near the *moto*. The *hamon* is a skillfully baked *gunome-midare* in *nioi-deki* with *ko-nie*. The elegant *koshirae*, featuring *menuki* with the *Musubi-Karigane* (tied wild goose) family crest said to be handed down through the Sanada family, adds further splendor to this Terushige *tanto*. On this occasion, an elderly connoisseur has entrusted this to us, saying, "I have grown old, so please pass this work, which has been handed down as a Terushige *tanto* of the Sanada family, to a successor at a low price as it has not yet undergone formal *shinsa* (appraisal)." For this reason, we are offering it at a special bargain price. Please do enjoy it.
NihontoWatchden · Muromachi · nagasa 24.2cm
Shinto · Musashi · around 1558-1570
Fujishiro Jo saku · Tōken Taikan top 49%
1 piece on the market now
Where Terushige 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.
Shinto · Musashi
13 pieces on the market now
The Shitahara group (下原) worked at Hachiōji in Bushū, the old province of Musashi, from the end of the Muromachi period and carried its forge on into the Edo period. The setsumei place the lineage among the swordmakers of Musashi in the kotō age and name Terushige, Yasushige, Hiroshige, and Chikashige as its leading hands, with the meikan recording Terushige across three generations: a shodai in Kyōroku, a nidai in Eiroku, and a sandai in Tenshō. " That same blade was made to order, in this case from Hagiwara Kaminao of Kōshū, marking the group as a working provincial forge serving its region. In the forging the setsumei return repeatedly to an itame-hada freely mixed with mokume that stands up rather than lying flat, the grain described as hada-datsu, often running to nagare near the edge and taking on an ayasugi-like, whorled or vortex-like cast in the jigane. The temper is a moderately undulating notare into which gunome enter, frequently in regular paired sequences, with pointed togariba, a chōji-like feeling at times, and ko-nie clinging along a nioiguchi that can settle into a subdued shizumi tone; sunagashi and ashi appear within the ha, and the bōshi tends to run midare-komi and turn back in maru. One katana shows a wet-looking nureba surface with angular irregularities and hakikake.
The setsumei read this hand as a synthesis drawing on late Sōshū and the Muramasa line together with late Mino tendencies, which together account for the standing grain and the paired gunome. For kantei the markers are consistent: the risen mokume with its ayasugi turn, the regularly paired gunome, and a build suited to the uchigatana of the closing Muromachi years, often with pronounced sakizori and an extended chū-kissaki. Carving recurs, including bō-hi, bonji, gomabashi, and a deeply cut kurikara-ryū whose coiling tail the NBTHK singles out as characteristic. Named and dated pieces anchor the group: the Yamamoto Genjirō Terushige naginata, uncommon as a double-edged ryōba form, and a Terushige katana appraised between Eiroku and Tenshō that the register calls the hakubi of the school. The setsumei note that Shitahara work survives in number into the shintō period while outstanding examples remain few, which sets these designated blades apart within the lineage. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Terushige照重 | 1558-1570 | 2 |
| Terushige照重 | 1596-1615 | 1 |
| Yasushige康重 | 1558-1570 | 1 |
| Morishige盛重 | 1661-1673 | 0 |
| Yasushige康重 | 1661-1704 | 0 |
After the Ōnin War broke the Ashikaga order, a century of Sengoku warfare armed nearly every province in Japan. The era rewards a discriminating eye: routine work exists in quantity, and beside it stand custom blades of the first rank.
We could not find an authenticity certificate on the seller’s listing. Japanese swords and fittings are normally papered by the NBTHK (or the NTHK). Without one, the attribution is the seller’s own assessment and has not been independently verified — treat it with caution and ask the dealer about certification before buying.
For 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.
