UK Sword Register, No. 31

Jihada: Ko-itame-mokume hada, some masame-hada especially in the middle of the blade near the hamon. Some areas of slight tiredness.

Hamon: Notare-midare in nie-deki, some small gunome near the kissaki, ko-ashi and sunagashi are seen in places. The boshi is midare-komi, ko-maru and slight kaeri, some hakikake.

Nagako: Suriage, 4 mekugi-ana, o-sujikai yasurimei, there is 6.5cm of okuri-machi, signed on the omote; YAMATO (no) KAMI YASUSADA and dated on the same side, JO-O INU NEN GOGATSU KICHI NICHI (Jo-o era, 1652-54, the year of the dog, 5th month, lucky day). There is kinzogan saidan on the Ura; FUTATSU-DO KIRI OTOSHI, YAMANO KANJURO.

Without the okuri-machi this sword would have just about been a short Katana. As it is, it represents rather a long but very elegantly shaped wakizashi. A kiri-komi, just over half way up the blade attests to its use in combat. The jihada is well forged and the flowing masame is very prominent near to the hamon causing sunagashi to form in places. There is strong masame in the shinogi-ji. Some nie spill out into the ji, but altogether I would describe the hamon as bright. The jigane has a slightly bluish tinge.

It is somewhat unusual to see a Shinto blade with so many mekugi-ana in the nakago and it is unfortunate that the suriage cuts through both of the last character of the smith’s name on the omote and the tameshimei on the ura. However, it is considered quite desirable to have such an inscription in gold inlay on a sword.

Yamoto (no) Kami Yasusada along with Nagasone Kotetsu may be considered as two representative swordsmiths from Edo at this time. They both made swords in the so-called Kanbun-shinto shape, which was influenced by the Dojo Kendo being practised at that time. Yasusada has a great reputation as a swordsmith who produced blades of supreme sharpness (Ryo-owazamono) and consequently, like Kotetsu, many of his swords have cutting attestations on them in gold inlay. Indeed, as both the date and signature are the same side of the nakago on this sword, it seems quite likely that this sword was made with testing in mind, the ura being left for the kinzogan-mei (gold inlay). His reputation for sharpness is further testified by the fact that the testers of his swords were either Yamano Asazaemon or Yamano Kanjuro, as in the present sword, both Shogun appointed sword testers. It is likely that there was a ready market for such blades in the martial atmosphere of Edo, the Shogunate capital.

The First generation Yasusada came from the Yasutsugu group in Echizen province before moving to the Kanda area of Edo. His family name was Hiba and his personal name Sobei and he is rated as Jo-saku by Fujishiro. Because of the existence of a sword with an inscription to that effect, it is certain that there are two generations of Yasusada with the Yamato (no) Kami title and it is very difficult to distinguish between them. It is thought that a third generation may have been originally named Yasatsugu and changed his name to Yasusada on the death of the 2nd generation.

Browsers are free to download items for personal use only on their own computer. Permission to reuse any material in any other form or venue must be obtained in writing or through confirmed e-mail from the representatives of the To-Ken Society of Great Britain.