UK
Sword Register No: 100
Type:
Gendai tachi
Nagasa:
68.4 cm Moto-haba:
3.2 cm Saki-haba: 2.2 cm
Sugata:
Quite a broad blade of sturdy appearance and a shallow koshi-zori,
shinogi-zukuri, chu-kissaki and iori-mune.
Jihada: A fine ko-mokume-hada
with some ko-itame. A faint utsuri appears in the area just below the shinogi.
Hamon:
Nioi-deki with occasional ko-nie, ko-choji-gunome-midare, many ashi, some
very small. Boshi is slightly midare=komi with ko-maru and short kaeri.
Nakago: Ubu but with 2 mekugi-ana, one being a shinobi-ana close to the ha-agari kuri-jiri. The sujikai yasurime are deeply and individually cut and finished in the kesho style. Signed on the haki-omote: IYO DAIJO TAIRA SADASHIGE SAKU and dated on the haki-ura: SHOWA JUHACHI NEN ROKU GATSU HI (June 1943).
The shape of this Showa
period tachi blade is very good, especially considering that it was made in the
middle of the Pacific War. Although it is designated as a tachi, the sugata
lends itself more to that of a katana, being of relatively robust shape with a
wide mihaba and shallow sori. It compares favourably with the gunto sugata being
made at this time, being longer and having a larger kissaki. The hamon is
skilfully constructed, predominantly in nioi with small choji and gunome,
usually formed from the numerous ashi throughout the length of the blade.
The jihada is an
attractive and compact ko-mokume predominantly. I was very surprised at the
presence of a faint but discernable utsuri running the length of the blade
adjacent to the shinogi. . Although I have heard of it in blades of the early
Showa period (1926-45) I have not previously encountered it. This utsuri, as I
have already stated, is faint and obscure but definitely present. It is
difficult to define its shape and were I forced to, I would probably say it was
like a bo-utsuri (straight) which is mostly associated with Oei Bizen swords.
Indeed, this together with the Bizen style of hamon might indicate somebody like
Oei Bizen Yasumitsu being the inspiration for this blade.
The nakago is skilfully filed and the calligraphy is confidently carved on both sides. The presence of the shinobi-ana, the hole at the bottom of the nakago, may indicate that the sword was prepared for or experienced tameshigiri.
According to Slough’s “Modern
Japanese Swordsmiths 1868-1945”, Sadashige’s real name was Imai
Takeshige and he was born in 1891, making him approximately 52 when he made this
sword. He studied under the Takahashi brothers, Yoshimune (see UK Sword Register
No: 63) and Sadatsugu who was to become the first Living National Treasure
swordsmith in 1955. This was presumably at the Gassan forge in Osaka. Later
Sadashige became an honorary forging teacher at the Nihonto Gakuin (Japanese
Sword Academy) and he made swords for the Kokura Rikugun Zoheisho (Kokura Army
Arsenal) during World War 2.
Slough states further,
that the swords made by Sadashige in the Bizen style, as in the present case,
were regarded as his best works.
Although
Sadashige regularly signed using the old clan name of “Taira” in his mei, he
also wrote Iyo Saijo or Yoshu Saijo, referring to where he lived. On this sword,
however, he includes the old title of Iyo DAIJO. Titles such as this were no
longer awarded in the 20th century and this is the only gendaito that
I have encountered using such a title (I am told there may be one Seki smith
that has also used one). It seems most probable that on this occasion Sadashige
adopted this title, which may also refer to his home town, for an unspecified
reason. It will be readily appreciated that this sword is interesting on a
number of different levels. Entered
into NTHK shinsa, the sword was awarded Kanteisho.
Clive Sinclaire
Bexley, UK
March 2009