This piece is a masterpiece made by Gassan Sadakazu I during the Meiji period.

The sword is extremely well preserved, with zero flaws, chips, dents, or rust. The jigane is well packed with itame and the hamon is sakachoji with long ashi in notare. Boshi is midarekomi and is breathtaking at first glance. The nakago is engraved on the sashiomote side with osaka ju gassan sada kazu kore wo seiren, and on the sashiura side with meiji sanjugonen hachigatsubi. In other words, this work was made in August 1902.

Gassan Sadakazu was born in 1836 in Omi Province (present-day Shiga Prefecture) as a child of the Tsukamoto family. At the age of seven, he was adopted by Gassan Sadayoshi, an active swordsmith in Osaka. He began training as a swordsmith at the age of 11, and his progress was remarkable. In 1851, at the age of 16, he made a highly finished wakizashi that astonished everyone around him, and his talent was noticed from early on.

In the Meiji period (1868-1912), when the Sword Law was enacted in 1876, demand for Japanese swords declined dramatically, forcing many swordsmiths to change or close their businesses. Sadakazu, however, remained dedicated to sword making, and in 1906 he was appointed “Imperial Household Artisan,” the highest honor for a swordsmith at the time, in other words, an official swordsmith to the Ministry of the Imperial Household.

As a result, he left his mark on the swordsmith world by making swords for the Emperor Meiji, who was renowned for his love of swords, as well as swords for members of the Imperial Family and other prominent figures. His grandson and successor, Sadakazu II, was designated a Living National Treasure (holder of Important Intangible Cultural Property) in 1971.

This sword was made in 1902, four years before he became the Imperial Household Artisan, and its form and beauty as a Japanese sword show his maturity. In its perfection, the Society for Preservation of Japanese Art and Swords issued a certificate of authenticity in December 2024, recognizing this work as worthy of special preservation for future generations by Tokubetsu Hozon.

You now have the opportunity to acquire this legendary first Gassan Sadakazu piece that every Japanese sword fan should own.

• Blade length: 69.0 cm
• Curvature: 1.3 cm
• Number of Mekugi hole: 1
• Sakihaba: 19.2 mm
• Sakikasane: 4.5 mm
• Motohaba: 27.3 mm
• Motokasane: 6.6 mm
• Signature: Osaka Ju Gassan Sadakazu Kore wo Seiren(front), Meiji Sanjugo-nen Hachigatsu-bi(back)
• Era: Gendai
• Structure: Shinogi-zukuri, Iori-mune
• Jigane: Itame
• Hamon: Notare/Sakachoji
• Boshi: Midarekomi
• Weight: 580 g(blade only)/880 g(without Saya)
• Nakago: Ubu
  
• Koshirae: Black silk wrapped Tsuka with Kuro-ro-lacquered Saya/Shirasaya
• Original Registration No.: Mie 29630

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