Antique Japanese Wakizashi, Mumei, Attributed to Higo Daijō Sadakuni (肥後大掾貞国) — NBTHK Hozon Tōken, a Shōbu-zukuri Custom-Order Blade with Fudō Myōō Bonji and Bamboo-and-Leaves Carving, in a Bamboo-Design Shirasaya

A powerful Keichō-era shōbu-zukuri form with broad width and heavy kasane, carved with the sacred "Kān" of Fudō Myōō on the omote and a bamboo on the ura, in a shirasaya whose bamboo design echoes the blade carving

An unsigned wakizashi designated Hozon Tōken by the NBTHK, appraised to the master "Higo Daijō Sadakuni," who was active in Echizen Province during the golden age of the "Keichō Shintō" — the early Edo Keichō era (circa 1596–1615), in which the grandeur and practical beauty of Momoyama culture came to fruition. The powerful form of the shōbu-zukuri, broad in width and thick in kasane, is a breathtaking custom order that shows the strong preferences of a warlord. The sacred bonji (Sanskrit seed syllable) "Kān" of Fudō Myōō is powerfully carved on the omote of the blade, while on the ura a "bamboo and leaves," symbolizing integrity and prosperity, is splendidly carved out. Accompanied also by an elegant "bamboo-design shirasaya" that resonates beautifully with the blade carving, this is a supreme blade in which the very essence of the Keichō Shintō is concentrated, of extremely high documentary and appreciation value.

Workmanship and condition

The jigane is a powerful itame-hada (wood-grain pattern) skillfully mixed with mokume (burl grain) and flowing grain, with ji-nie laid deep and thick, showing the moist, dark-toned, tenacious steel character distinctive of Echizen swords.

The hamon is based on a relaxed notare (undulating line), gently mixed with ko-gunome (small irregular clove-shaped forms) and togari-ba-fū (pointed-tip-like) irregularity. Bright, luminous ko-nie is laid deeply along the temper edge, and within the hamon, not only do ashi, sunagashi, and kinsuji run beautifully, but tobiyaki (detached temper spots) and yubashiri (spilling nie) appear as spots across the hamon, the hiraji (flat), and even toward the mune side — presenting the dynamic, richly varied activity of ji and ha in the manner of the Echizen and Sōshū traditions.

The blade is kept in a very sound condition after polishing, with no chips or fatal defects, allowing one to fully appreciate the contrast between the three-dimensional, beautiful shinogi-suji of the shōbu-zukuri and the clear, brilliant ji and ha set off by the tobiyaki.

Form

The nagasa (edge length) is 38.2 cm. The blade is a "shōbu-zukuri" (iris-leaf style), evocative of an iris leaf with no yokote line, broad in mihaba (width) at both base and tip and firmly thick in kasane. It is a powerful form characteristic of the Keichō Shintō, in which the sharpness of a point honed to a keen edge in a single sweep coexists with a weighty feel in the hand.

The nakago (tang) is unsigned (mumei) and ubu, supporting the full-bodied blade distinctive of the Keichō Shintō.

The carving (horimono)

On the omote (front), a bō-hi (single groove) and a soe-hi (companion groove) are cleanly cut along the shinogi-ji, and at the end of the grooves is powerfully and accurately carved the sacred bonji "Kān," the seed syllable of Fudō Myōō, who wards off evil and brings martial fortune. It is a splendid blade carving imbued with the strong prayer of the patron (a samurai), in which the mighty protective power of Fudō Myōō and an "immovable heart" (fudō-shin) are made to dwell in the blade.

On the ura (back), a "bamboo trunk" and "bamboo leaves," extending supplely from the base, are delicately and three-dimensionally carved out. Bamboo is an auspicious motif greatly favored by the warrior class, meaning "the strength not to be broken by snow or wind," "integrity in keeping one's joints (setsu)," and "prosperity of the family (prosperity of descendants)."

On the smith — Higo Daijō Sadakuni (肥後大掾貞国)

Higo Daijō Sadakuni was a master of the highest grade (jō-jō-saku) representing the Keichō Shintō period, active in Echizen Province (present-day Fukui Prefecture) from the Azuchi-Momoyama period into the early Edo period (Keichō to Genna eras).

Echizen grew rapidly into a major center of the Shintō period when Yūki Hideyasu, the second son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, entered Kitanoshō (Fukui) and swordsmiths gathered there. Sadakuni was a central figure of the "Echizen Shimosaka school," and is said to have been of the same school as — and, according to one theory, the younger brother of — the "1st-generation Echizen Yasutsugu," who was permitted the Aoi (hollyhock) crest by Tokugawa Ieyasu and became an official swordsmith to the Edo shogunate.

Sadakuni's greatest strength lies in his outstanding skill in tempering a dynamic ji and ha in the Sōshū-den manner, evocative of Shizu and Masamune, over the tenacious, blue and clear jigane distinctive of the Shimosaka school. In addition to the fact that relatively few of his works were made and they are therefore rare, he is also highly regarded as a master of carving, with a profound understanding of the art, who applied refined, elegant horimono akin to "Echizen Kinai-bori" to his blades.

With the sure skill of a smith who received the title "Higo Daijō," and a spirited form that rivals that of the 1st-generation Yasutsugu, this work lets one fully savor Sadakuni's true face (shinmenmoku), forged in answer to the commissions of warlords in the turbulent Keichō age.

The mounting (shirasaya)

The shirasaya (plain wood resting scabbard) housing this blade differs from the ordinary smooth shirasaya, and is fashioned as a "bamboo-design (take-fushi-me) shirasaya," in which the elegant texture of bamboo nodes (fushi) and bamboo bark is expressed in wood carving.

Three-dimensional bands imitating bamboo nodes encircle it, and its design links beautifully with the "bamboo-and-leaves carving" on the ura of the blade. It is a special mounting in which one can sense the particular care and playfulness of an owner of the early Edo period.

The weighty, commanding presence of the shōbu-zukuri in the hand, and the clear ji and ha of the Sōshū-den manner in which tobiyaki and yubashiri dance dynamically. The Fudō Myōō bonji praying for lasting martial fortune and an immovable heart, and the delicate blade carving of bamboo and leaves wishing for the prosperity of the family, never cease to draw the heart of the viewer. Beyond the NBTHK Hozon appraisal that attests to the sure skill of "Higo Daijō Sadakuni," it is mounted in a bamboo-node-design shirasaya that links stylishly with the carving on the back of the blade, in which the deep attachment of its former collector can be felt. In very sound condition after polishing, this is a fine wakizashi full of historical elegance, worthy of being handed down for years to come.

Specifications

• Type: Wakizashi (脇指), shōbu-zukuri; ubu, mumei (unsigned); Early Edo period (Keichō era, Shintō)
• Smith: Attributed to Higo Daijō Sadakuni (肥後大掾貞国), Echizen Shimosaka school, Echizen Province
• Signature (mei): Unsigned (mumei), ubu nakago
• Jigane: Itame-hada mixed with mokume and flowing grain, deep and thick ji-nie
• Hamon: Relaxed notare mixed with ko-gunome and togari-ba-fū irregularity; bright ko-nie, ashi, sunagashi, kinsuji, tobiyaki, yubashiri
• Horimono: Bō-hi and soe-hi with bonji "Kān" (Fudō Myōō) on the omote; bamboo and leaves on the ura
• Length of edge (nagasa): 38.2 cm (approx. 15.04 in / approx. 1 shaku 2 sun 6 bu)
• Curvature (sori): 0.8 cm (approx. 0.31 in)
• Width at base (motohaba): 30.3 mm (approx. 1.19 in)
• Thickness at base (motokasane): 7.8 mm (approx. 0.31 in)
• Peg holes (mekugi-ana): 1
• Weight (blade only): 460 g
• Condition: Polished; very sound, with no chips or fatal defects
• Mounting: Bamboo-design (take-fushi-me) shirasaya; copper habaki
• Certification: NBTHK Hozon Tōken
• Registration No.: Ehime No. 20141 (愛媛 第20141号)