This piece is designed with the work of legendary swordsmith Minamoto Kiyomaro in mind, whom Masachika admires, and features a large midare hamon intertwined with o-itame hada. It has strong nie throughout, and you can enjoy seeing hataraki such as sunagashi and kinsuji on the blade. These features emphasize the great strength of this piece and make it a powerful tanto. Koshirae uses a traditional kuroro based aikuchi. This tanto comes with an official certificate from the All Japan Swordsmith Association.

So Masachika's Profile

So Masachika was a disciple of his father, So Tsutomu, who was also a master swordsmith. He majored in metallurgy in the Faculty of Engineering at Kyushu University, and after graduating from the university, he joined Hitachi Metals, where he engaged in "metallurgical" research. Later, he learned sword making from his father, and used the knowledge of metallurgy he gained during his studies to scientifically research and make swords. His specialty, the hamon called Toran was also well known and synonymous with Minamoto Kiyomaro, whom he respected. He is the current vice president of the All Japan Swordsmith Association and is Mukansa swordsmith recognized by the Society for Preservation of Japanese Art Swords.

• Blade length: 29.0 cm
• Curvature: 0.1 cm
• Number of Mekugi hole: 1
• Signature: So Masachika(front), Heisei Nijukyu Nen Hachigatsu(back)
• Fitting: Aikuchi Koshirae
• Original Registration No.: Fukuoka 106014