NihontoWatchThe Shikkake school, along with the Senjuin, Tegai, Taima, and Hosho, is one of the groups known as the Yamato Go-ha, a school of nihonto swordsmiths from Yamato Province thought to have emerged at the end of the Heian period or perhaps even earlier. The Shikkake school was a lineage that flourished greatly, with Norinaga around the Bunei era as its de facto founder. The same mei was inherited over several generations, and their activity was remarkable from the late Kamakura period to the early Nanboku-cho period, continuing thereafter into the later generations of the Muromachi period. The style of this school features a high shinogi and wide shinogi-ji in its tsukurikomi, with a kitae of itame that tends to nagare, and in addition to the common Yamato-mono characteristic of a suguba-based hamon, it is distinguished by the presence of continuous ko-gunome within the ha. This work has a nagasa of slightly over 2 shaku 2 sun 8 bun, with a standard mihaba and kasane. It is a single blade with a beautiful tachi-sugata featuring a pronounced koshi-zori. The jigane is itame-hada mixed with moku, which tends to nagare and become hada-tachi in places, with ji-nie. The hamon is based on suguba with slight notare added, containing ko-gunome and ko-ashi typical of Shikkake, and the nioiguchi is bright and clear. Furthermore, within the ha, sunagashi appears frequently, and kinsuji enter and show hataraki. The boshi becomes slightly midare-gokoro with a hakikake tip and returns shortly to a ko-maru. This item is accompanied by a splendid koshirae with well-coordinated kanagu as shown in the photographs. This katana is a single sword with a tsukurikomi in both ji and ha that is very characteristic of the Shikkake school, and it is an excellent specimen of a sword accompanied by a beautiful koshirae that fully demonstrates the highlights and characteristics of the school. Shirasaya, aogai-mijin-nuri-saya uchigatana koshirae, kin-paku-ichi-ju habaki, Tokubetsu Hozon Token Kanteisho.
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Yamato-den · Yamato
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The Shikkake school (尻懸派) stands among the five great Yamato traditions (Yamato goha) that flourished in the shadow of Nara's powerful temples during the late Kamakura period. While traditionally attributed to Norihiro as founder, Norinaga (則長) is regarded as the de facto progenitor, documented through extant tantō bearing inscriptions of his age: forty-eight in Bunpō 3 (1319) and sixty-nine in Ryakuō 3 (1340). These datings place his birth in Bun'ei 9 (1272), establishing him as a contemporary of the school's early development. Works attributed to later generations extend into the Muromachi period, indicating successive transmission of the name across multiple generations. Given the concentration of sōhei (warrior monks) in Yamato Province, it is natural that Shikkake smiths produced numerous naginata, with more surviving examples attributed to this school than any other Yamato tradition. Shikkake workmanship shares the fundamental Yamato vocabulary: construction with high shinogi and conspicuously wide shinogi-ji; forging in itame that characteristically flows, often incorporating mokume and nagare-hada with areas trending toward masame near the edge; and steel exhibiting thickly adhering ji-nie with frequent, stout chikei and occasional nie-utsuri. The tempering centers on suguha-based patterns, yet the school's signature lies in its treatment of the hamon: while maintaining the suguha foundation, Shikkake smiths tempered small gunome in connected succession (ko-gunome-tsure), creating a gently undulating effect. Along the habuchi appear characteristic Yamato activities—hotsure, nijūba, kuichigai-ba, uchi-noke, and yubashiri—with well-adhering ko-nie producing a bright, clear nioiguchi interwoven with kinsuji and sunagashi.
The bōshi typically runs straight with vigorous hakikake, often tending toward yakizume or taking on a flame-like (kaen) character at the point. While some examples execute pure suguha patterns, the intermixing of running ko-gunome within the ha remains the critical diagnostic feature distinguishing Shikkake from other Yamato schools[[c:1]], particularly Taima, with which it shares close affinities. The school's legacy endures through works of exceptional quality and preservation. Surviving naginata of grand scale—some exceeding 2 shaku 7 sun—demonstrate Nanbokuchō-period construction with characteristic shallow flaring and deep curvature, often transmitted in rare ubu-nakago condition. Shortened katana attributed to the school display vigorous forging in which flowing grain and chikei interweave, producing steel of remarkable clarity (saeru), while the tempering exhibits thickly adhering, strongly luminous nie creating bright visual effects. The consistent appearance of well-refined jigane with dense ko-itame and abundant ji-nie, paired with distinctive tempering patterns that balance fundamental suguha with running ko-gunome, establishes Shikkake as a school whose characteristic features remain unmistakable across centuries of production. Works attributed to this tradition regularly survive in kenzen (sound and well-preserved) condition, testimony to both original forging quality and careful transmission through successive generations. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Norinaga則長 | 1317-1319 | 43 |
| Norinari則成 | 1312-1317 | 0 |
| Nagamitsu長光 | 1233-1234 | 0 |
| Sukehiro助弘 | 1308-1311 | 0 |
| Norisada則貞 | 1428-1429 | 0 |
Yamato in the Nanbokuchō period
When the Southern Court made its capital at Yoshino, in Yamato itself, the province’s schools were at their height: the late Tegai line, Shikkake Norinaga, and the pure masame of Hōshō. Their technique was already spreading across the provinces.
A Hozon-certified blade judged to show notably superior workmanship and a better state of preservation. The bar is higher: re-tempered blades and most unsigned Muromachi/Edo works are excluded.
The NBTHK (Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai, the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords) is a public-interest incorporated foundation founded in 1948 and supervised by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs (Bunkachō); it is based at the Japanese Sword Museum in Tokyo. Its expert panels physically examine each submitted work (shinsa) and issue a certificate (kanteishō) ranking it by artistic and historical merit. NBTHK papers are the most widely recognized standard of authentication for Japanese swords and fittings.
NBTHK official siteNo cooling-off period or returns; refund only if the purchased sword is proven fake, capped at purchase price (excludes commission sales, accessories, auction items).