Edo was the sword’s age of connoisseurship: the Hon’ami appraisers, the shogunal register of famous blades of 1719, and a thriving literature turned the sword into an object of study even as it ceased to be drawn in war.
NihontoWatchNihontoWatchThis blade was signed by Fujiwara Sadatsugu (藤原貞次) during the Jokyo era (1684-1688: Early Edo Period) in Owari province (today’s Aichi prefecture). It is said that Sadatsugu was active during the Kanbun-Genroku era (1661-1704: early-mid Edo period). His birthname was Hisaemon (久佐衛門）and he was an apprentice of Kawachi no Kami Sadayuki. Sadatsugu forged blades for Samurai who served Owari Mikawa domain. As Owari province was active in martial arts during the early-mid Edo period, there was much demand for swords among high-class Samurai. And there were quite a few renowned swordsmiths in Owari province, but many of them only forged blades for the Owari domain. Owari domain was known as Tokugawa Gosanke (徳川御三家) and had powerful political power, closely connected to Tokugawa Shogunate in Edo city. We assume this blade was originally made for a high-class Samurai in Owari province. Sadatsugu received the honorable official title of Kawachi no Kami from the emperor for his superb sword-forging techniques in his late career. This blade is appraised as a Hozon Touken (保存刀剣) issued by NBTHK (Nihon Bijutsu Touken Hozon Kyokai: 日本美術刀剣保存協会). *Please keep in mind that there is a couple of Kitae Kizu on the Mune (backbone of the blade) and blade. Tsuka and Menuki The theme of the Menuki is Botan (牡丹, peony) flower and Karajishi (唐獅子). The combination of Botan and Karajishi is called Karajishi Botan (唐獅子牡丹). Peony represents happiness, wealth, nobleness, and gorgeousness. This flower pattern has been treated as a good-omen motif; people regarded it as a rich harvest sign. As mentioned above, a peony is called the Botan in Japanese. When we write this flower’s name in Kanji characters, its second letter means mountain hermit medicine that would give us eternal youth. Based on the meaning of this letter, the peony pattern symbolizes eternal youth and longevity. About the Karajishi, the Shishi (獅子) means a lion in Japanese, and the Karajishi is a lion brought from the Continent to Japan in the Toh period (唐, Tang dynasty, 618-907). The Karajishi typically has curly hair for its head, neck, body, and tail. In Buddhism, the Karajishi is regarded as a symbol of wisdom, and the Monju Bosatu (文殊菩薩, Manjushri Bodhisattva) rides lions. According to a theory, the Kara-Jishi originates from the Komainu (狛犬, stone guardian dogs that exorcize evil spirits). There is a Houwa (法話, Buddhist monks tell the story of Buddhism in an easy-to-understand manner) that treats the Karajishi and this flower. The lion is called the king of the beasts. However, even this invincible animal has only one fear: a bug in the lion’s body. This pest grows in the lion’s hair and eventually breaks the skin and bites the flesh. Nevertheless, it dies if it is exposed to the night dew of a peony. Therefore, the lion rests under peony flowers at night, looking for a haven. The design of these sword mountings might have been quoted from this story. Authentication Paper They authenticated the blade on March 26th in the 27th year of Heisei (2015). They appraised it as Hozon Touken, the blade worth preserving for Japanese society.
Offered by Samurai Museum
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As written by the shop
Owari · around 1661-1704
The Edo period (1615 to 1868)
Edo was the sword’s age of connoisseurship: the Hon’ami appraisers, the shogunal register of famous blades of 1719, and a thriving literature turned the sword into an object of study even as it ceased to be drawn in war.
Certifies a genuine blade worth preserving: a signature confirmed correct, or, if unsigned, an era, province, and school that the NBTHK can reliably identify.
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.
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