Japanese Tachi by the Living National Treasure Sumitani Masamine (隅谷正峯), signed and dated Shōwa 41 (1966) — NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken — a masterwork in the Kamakura Bizen tradition with his signature "Sumitani-chōji" — with a rare double sayagaki by Masamine himself and Satō Kanzan

Signed and dated masterpiece tachi forged by Sumitani Masamine at his Sanryūtei forge · superbly packed ko-mokume with vivid Bizen midare-utsuri · the gorgeous "Sumitani-chōji" temper alive with ashi, yō, kinsuji and sunagashi · over 2 shaku 5 sun · double (both-side) sayagaki, gold-gilded habaki

A jewel of a blade in which the great Shōwa master and Living National Treasure Sumitani Masamine reproduced, to the very limit, the Kamakura-period Bizen tradition at his own forge, the Sanryūtei. Designated an NBTHK (Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai) Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken, this is a masterpiece tachi that reigns at the very summit of modern swords. Its shirasaya carries an exceptionally rare double sayagaki — "Sumitani Masamine" on the front, and on the reverse an inscription by the towering authority of the sword-appraisal world, Satō Kanzan. Where the hand of a master smith and the authority of the connoisseur's world cross, the result is a piece of truly National-Treasure / Important-Cultural-Property character.

Workmanship and condition

Perfectly polished by a specialist togishi, the blade is preserved in the finest condition, without a single flaw or fault. The jigane is a ko-mokume forged and packed with extreme finesse, showing a fresh, moist surface; delicate chikei well up, and across the whole blade rises the clear, graceful midare-utsuri peculiar to the Bizen tradition — a superb ground that could be mistaken for an old masterwork of Ko-Bizen or Ichimonji. The hamon is the gorgeous Sumitani-chōji that is the smith's signature: a bold, Shigefusa-like chōji-midare of layered clusters with pronounced highs and lows, mixed with gunome and togari-ba, and richly filled with ashi and yō. Tempered in nie, the temper boundary shows fine kinsuji and sunagashi, and the whole, bright and utterly clear, radiates overwhelming vigor. The bōshi enters as a midare-komi and returns gracefully in ko-maru, tempered soundly right to the tip, while a crisp, well-drawn bō-hi is carved through both faces, tightening the entire figure. The tang (nakago) bears neat katte-sagari file marks and is cut, clearly and powerfully, with the signature Kaga no Kuni jū Masamine oite Sanryūtei kore o tsukuru and the date Shōwa 41 (1966), a lucky day in the eighth month.

Form

A commanding long blade with a nagasa of 2 shaku 5 sun (75.8 cm). It shows the deep koshi-zori and graceful curvature proper to a tachi, with solid, well-planted motohaba and sakihaba — magnificently capturing both the grandeur and the elegance of the great swords of the Kamakura age.

The smith — Living National Treasure Sumitani Masamine

Sumitani Masamine (1921–1998) devoted himself to swordmaking at his forge, the Sanryūtei, in Matto (present-day Hakusan), Ishikawa Prefecture, and in Shōwa 56 (1981) was certified a Holder of Important Intangible Cultural Property (a Living National Treasure) — the foremost master of the modern sword world. He reached the very summit in the study of the Kamakura-period Bizen tradition, establishing his own distinctive Sumitani-chōji, and is also renowned for having made numerous swords connected with the Japanese Imperial household (including sacred swords for the Ise Grand Shrine). His works are highly prized, in both dignity and artistic value, as treasures of the modern age.

The mounting and sayagaki

The shirasaya that houses the blade is of the highest grade, of exceptional value within a sword collection. Its front face bears a powerful sayagaki in Masamine's own hand, and its reverse a meticulous appraisal sayagaki by Kanzan — an extremely rare "both-side double sayagaki." It is proof that both the maker himself and the leading authority of the appraisal world recognized the quality of the work, heightening the joy of ownership to the utmost. A dignified gold-gilded (kin-kise) habaki with a finely worked lattice file pattern is also fitted.

A supreme masterpiece uniting a commanding, over-2-shaku-5-sun figure; the finest Sumitani-chōji, alive with kinsuji, sunagashi and utsuri; an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon certificate; and a rare double sayagaki — a sword worthy of heading any collection, in which one may savor the very essence of the Living National Treasure Sumitani Masamine to the full.

Specifications

• Type: Tachi (shinogi-zukuri), with bō-hi on both faces
• Signature (mei): Kaga no Kuni jū Masamine oite Sanryūtei kore o tsukuru (加賀国住正峯於傘笠亭作之); dated Shōwa 41 (1966), 8th month, on a lucky day
• Certification: NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken (No. 1018512); double sayagaki by Sumitani Masamine and Satō Kanzan
• Smith: Sumitani Masamine (1921–1998), Living National Treasure (1981)
• Jigane: finely packed ko-mokume with chikei and vivid Bizen midare-utsuri
• Hamon: "Sumitani-chōji" — layered chōji-midare with gunome and togari-ba, nie-deki, ashi, yō, kinsuji and sunagashi; bright and clear
• Bōshi: midare-komi, ko-maru return
• Period made: Shōwa 41 (1966) — modern (gendaitō)
• Blade length (nagasa): 75.8 cm / 29.84 in (2 shaku 5 sun)
• Curvature (sori): 2.8 cm (deep koshi-zori)
• Width at base (motohaba): 33.3 mm
• Thickness at base (motokasane): 7.3 mm
• Width at tip (sakihaba): 22.3 mm
• Thickness at tip (sakikasane): 4.3 mm
• Weight (blade only): 750 g
• Condition: perfectly polished, flawless
• Mounting: shirasaya with double sayagaki (Sumitani Masamine / Satō Kanzan); gold-gilded (kin-kise) habaki with lattice file pattern
• Torokushō (Japanese registration) No.: Okayama 123522