Japanese Tachi by the Mukansa master Ōno Yoshimitsu (義光) of Musashi (Tokyo), signed and dated spring of Reiwa 5 (2023) — modern (gendaitō) — a magnificent Bizen-tradition chōji-midare, with a bō-hi, in shirasaya

Signed-and-dated tachi by the Mukansa smith Ōno Yoshimitsu, foremost pupil of the master Yoshihara Yoshindo · a grand, Heian-to-Kamakura-style figure with deep koshi-zori · superbly forged itame-with-mokume and fine ji-nie · Yoshimitsu's signature bold, gorgeous chōji-midare ("Ōno chōji") · a bō-hi running off into the tang · brand-new, as-made · with a gold habaki

A masterwork forged in the spring of Reiwa 5 (2023) by Ōno Yoshimitsu, a contemporary master of Musashi (Tokyo) renowned as the foremost pupil of the mukansa smith Yoshihara Yoshindo. It draws the eye in an instant — a bold, gorgeous sense of weight and presence, and an overwhelming hamon that pursues the beauty of the Bizen tradition to its very limit. A grand figure recalling the old tachi of the Heian and Kamakura periods is here fused with technique of the highest order — a piece that raises the standing of any collection.

Workmanship and condition

The jigane is a superb forging: a standing itame mixed with mokume, over which fine, beautiful ji-nie gather. The hamon is the very essence of the smith — a substantial yet gorgeous chōji-midare, his celebrated jūka-chōji ("double-flower clove," the "Ōno chōji"). As a brand-new work, fresh from the forge, it is in perfect, as-made condition, with no flaw or rust of any kind.

Form

A commanding tachi with a deep koshi-zori and a magnificent, elegant silhouette that evokes the great swords of the Heian–Kamakura age. A bō-hi (straight groove) is carved running down and tapering off into the tang (kaki-nagashi). At a nagasa of 71.5 cm (about 2 shaku 3 sun 6 bu) with a deep 2.9 cm sori, solid motohaba and motokasane, and two peg-holes (mekugi-ana), it has genuine grandeur and presence.

The smith — Ōno Yoshimitsu

Ōno Yoshimitsu (real name Yoshikawa Mitsuo, born 1948) began his study in 1969 under the celebrated mukansa master Yoshihara Yoshindo, training under him until 1976 while attending the College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine of Nihon University (graduating in 1972); he then became independent and opened a forge. He won consecutive Effort Prizes through 1980, an Encouragement Prize in 1981, and the Prince Takamatsu Memorial Prize in 1982, becoming a regular member of the All Japan Swordsmiths' Association. From 1984 he took the Prince Takamatsu Prize four years running, and in 1987 he was awarded the Mukansa designation. He is a master representative of the modern sword world — of overwhelming technique and deep knowledge of the old masterworks — who completed the revival of the Bizen tradition's supreme jūka-chōji-midare and swept the top Special Prizes. Among his works, his "Yamatorige-utsushi" (copies of the famous "Sanchōmō / Yamatorige"), with a distinctive peninsula-shaped nioiguchi on the omote, are especially well known; his style, born of consummate skill and thoroughgoing dedication, is extremely flamboyant and gorgeous, and his jūka-chōji-midare — the "Ōno chōji" — is said to be beyond imitation. In 2012 he was designated a holder of Katsushika-ward Intangible Cultural Property, and he continues to work for the spread of sword culture to this day.

Selected record:

• 1975 — Shinsaku Meitō-ten, first entry, Encouragement Prize
• 1983 — Shinsaku Meitō-ten, Special Prize / Agency for Cultural Affairs Commissioner's Prize
• 1985 — Shinsaku Meitō-ten, Prince Takamatsu Memorial Prize (won four times thereafter)
• 1987 — Shinsaku Meitō-ten, certified Mukansa
• 1991 — solo exhibition at the Hayashibara Museum of Art
• 1993 — respectfully forged the sacred sword for the 61st Shikinen Sengū of the Ise Grand Shrine
• 1996 — made "Kuro-zukuri Tachi No. 13" and dedicated it to the Shōsōin
• 2006 — exhibited at the Macau Expo ("Art of Iron" exhibition)
• 2010 — 1st Shinsaku Nihontō Tōshoku Gijutsu Exhibition, NTBSK Chairman's Prize
• 2012 — designated Katsushika-ward Intangible Cultural Property
• 2013 — respectfully forged the sacred sword and halberd for the 62nd Shikinen Sengū of the Ise Grand Shrine
• 2018 — certified "Nihontō Meikō" (Master Swordsmith) by the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Sword Culture (NTBSK)

The mounting

The blade is preserved in a plain wood shirasaya (resting scabbard) with a gold habaki.

A pristine, freshly made tachi by the Mukansa master Ōno Yoshimitsu — its superbly forged ground and gorgeous "Ōno chōji" temper carried on a grand, Heian-to-Kamakura-style figure with a bō-hi running off into the tang. A supreme modern work, embodying the smith's lifelong pursuit of the beauty of the Bizen tradition, to appreciate and treasure exactly as it left the forge.

Specifications

• Type: Tachi (shinogi-zukuri), with a bō-hi running off into the tang (kaki-nagashi); modern (gendaitō)
• Signature (mei): front — Tōto jūnin Yoshimitsu kore o tsukuru (東都住人義光作之); reverse — Reiwa 5, spring, a lucky day (令和五年春吉日, 2023)
• Certification: none (registration only)
• Smith: Ōno Yoshimitsu (real name Yoshikawa Mitsuo, b. 1948), Mukansa swordsmith — Musashi (Tokyo); pupil of Yoshihara Yoshindo; Katsushika-ward Intangible Cultural Property (2012)
• Style: Bizen tradition (jūka-chōji-midare, the "Ōno chōji")
• Jigane: standing itame mixed with mokume, with fine, beautiful ji-nie
• Hamon: substantial, gorgeous chōji-midare (jūka-chōji)
• Carving (horimono): bō-hi, kaki-nagashi (running off into the tang)
• Blade length (nagasa): 71.5 cm / 28.15 in (about 2 shaku 3 sun 6 bu)
• Curvature (sori): 2.9 cm (deep koshi-zori)
• Width at base (motohaba): 33.7 mm
• Thickness at base (motokasane): 7.3 mm
• Peg-holes (mekugi-ana): 2
• Weight (blade only): 830 g
• Condition: brand-new, as-made; no flaws or rust
• Mounting: shirasaya (plain wood resting scabbard) with a gold habaki
• Certification: NBSK Authentic Japanese Sword Certificate
• Torokushō (Japanese registration) No.: Tokyo 326081