NihontoWatchOrdering Number: AS26503Katana in Shirasaya with Koshirae (NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Token)Signature: Mumei (Attributed to Den Shikkake)無銘(伝 尻懸)Koto: Jyo Saku: Ō Wazamono: Yamato(We divide 4 sections for each sword as Saijyo Saku, Jyojyo Saku, Jyo Saku and Regular Saku).This blade is ranked as Jyojyo Saku among works attributed to Shikkake.Habaki: Single gold-foiled habaki.Blade Length: 68.2 cm (26.85 in).Curvature: 1.6 cm (0.63 in).Mekugi Hole: 3.Width at Base (Motohaba): 2.94 cm (1.16 in).Width at Yokote: 1.92 cm (0.76 in).Thickness of rim (Kasane): 0.65 cm (0.26 in).Sword Weight: 660 g.Era: Around the Enbun–Jōji period (1356–1368), Nanbokuchō period.Shape: A well-proportioned blade with a wide mihaba, substantial kasane, moderate curvature, and a slightly elongated kissaki.Jigane: Itame hada mixed with mokume hada, with the grain clearly visible. Whitish utsuri appears in the ji.Hamon: Suguha with nezumi-ashi. The boshi turns back in a rounded form with a hakikake tip.Features: Among the Yamato traditions, the Shikkake school flourished under its founder Norinaga. Its workmanship is characterized by flowing itame hada with abundant ji-nie and a refined hamon. This blade has been attributed to Shikkake by the Japanese Sword Museum (NBTHK) as a mumei work, and is considered to date no later than the late Kamakura period. It is a healthy blade of excellent workmanship.Koshirae:Tsuba: Five-lobed mokko-shaped iron tsuba with a silver fukurin rim.Fuchikashira / Kojiri / Kurikata: Carved with floral motifs.Saya (Scabbard): Black stone-textured lacquered saya.Menuki: Shakudo menuki carved with phoenix motifs.Aoi Art’s Comment: The Yamato tradition consists of the five major schools: Hōshō, Taima, Shikkake, Tegai, and Senjuin. Their blades are said to have been supplied to the warrior monks who protected the many great temples of Nara, with each school exhibiting its own distinctive characteristics. This is an excellent example attributed to the Shikkake school of the Koto pe
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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 Nanbokuchō period
When the Southern Court made its capital at Yoshino, in Yamato itself, the province’s schools were at their height: the late Tegai line, Shikkake Norinaga, and the pure masame of Hōshō. Their technique was already spreading across the provinces.
A Hozon-certified blade judged to show notably superior workmanship and a better state of preservation. The bar is higher: re-tempered blades and most unsigned Muromachi/Edo works are excluded.
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.
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