VOL.202 APRIL 2025
ENJOYING JAPANESE SAKE, NIHONSHU
[The Beauty of Japanese Swords] Long Sword (Tachi), Signed "Norikuni"
National Treasure: Long Sword (Tachi), Signed “Norikuni”
(Blade length: 74.7 cm)
Photo: ColBase
This long sword was made by Norikuni, a master swordsmith of the Awataguchi School.1 It is one of the very few examples with the inscription “Norikuni” and is believed to have been made in the 13th century. The sword is currently in the collection of the Kyoto National Museum.
“The blade of this long sword (J., tachi) is slender… The surface of the blade is characterized by a fine wood-grain texture, and the temper line is narrow and straight. These features and manufacturing techniques are characteristic of Kyoto swords.”2
- 1. Awataguchi School: The collective name for a clan of swordsmiths who made swords in the Awataguchi area in the Higashiyama district of Kyoto from around the late 12th century.
- 2. Quoted from e-National Treasures
<<About terminology used in the quoted passages>>
Fine wood grain texture (koitame-moyo): A type of pattern that appears on ground steel. The pattern resembles the annual rings of a tree as they have flowed through the wood. The finer grain pattern is called “koitamehada” and the larger grain pattern is called “ooitamehada.”
Photo: ColBase