A Shodai Yoshimichi Katana (丹波守吉道)

Shodai Yoshimichi is among the most celebrated smiths of the early Shintô period. The third son of Seki Kanemichi, he relocated to Seidonin in Kyoto with his father and brothers in February of 1593, and received the Tanba no Kami title on December 7th, 1595. His line endured for eleven generations in Kyoto and is known collectively as Kyo-Tanba 京丹波 – a branch of the Mishina school whose name became synonymous with the extraordinary sudare-ba hamon, a rippling temper line resembling a bamboo curtain that shodai pioneered.

This katana stands apart for two significant reasons. Yoshimichi predominantly crafted wakizashi and tanto – katana of this length, measuring 77.5cm, are exceptionally rare from his hand. More striking still is the hamon: a deep, rich chû-suguha worked in fine ko-nie, an interpretation so far removed from the sudare-ba he is famous for that the NBTHK Juyo White Paper noted its rarity explicitly, describing the suguha as showing abundance of ko-nie with the ha based on the Mino tradition and elements of Yamato influence. No collector expecting the bamboo curtain would recognise this blade as his work on first glance.

The blade is dressed in a beautiful custom sô-handachi koshirae built expressly for the piece in Japan, mounting a complete set of certified Higo fittings from the Mid-Edo period (early 1700s). The motif of rain dragons in gold inlay runs consistently through the tsuba, fuchi-kashira, and menuki, providing a unified and commanding presentation befitting the quality of the blade. The sword was designated NBTHK Juyo Token in the 7th session (1961) and carries a sayagaki by Honma Junji (Kunzan), written in the eighth lunar month of the Year of the Ox (1961).