A Nakajima-Rai Katana (中島来)

The Nakajima-Rai branch of the esteemed Rai school was founded by Rai Kuninaga, a pupil of national treasure swordsmith Rai Kunitoshi. Kuninaga relocated from Kyôto to the Nakajima district of Settsu province (present-day Osaka) during the Gentoku era (1329-1331), earning him the nickname Nakajima-Rai. The school is celebrated for refining the classic Yamashiro aesthetic into something altogether more charged – blades of commanding presence and exceptional internal activity.

This katana was originally forged as a nodachi, a great sword with a cutting edge well over 80cm. It was later shortened (ô-suriage) by subsequent generations of samurai, reducing it to a more practical length for everyday wear and losing the original signature in the process. Through that shortening the blade attained its current powerful shape – wide, substantial, and deeply curved – the hallmark proportions of the Nanbokuchô period battlefield sword. The NBTHK Juyô Token certificate notes that both the ji (body) and ha (hardened edge) are in outstanding condition (kenzen), a testament to just how well this blade has survived nearly 700 years.

The steel is alive with detail. Vivid itame mixed with flowing nagare-hada carries abundant ji-nie and striking chikei throughout the body. The hamon runs in a bright suguha-chô base in fine nioguchi, enriched with ko-chôji, ko-gunome, ashi and yô, and punctuated by hotsure, kuichigai-ba, nijûba, uchinoke, kinsuji, and sunagashi – a catalogue of Rai school excellence. The boshi sweeps in graceful hakikake, while the large ô-kissaki proclaims its Nanbokuchô origins with authority. Tiny traces of vermilion lacquer survive in the grooves of the bôhi, a rare detail suggesting that both channels were once lacquered – in Shintô practice, vermilion expels evil and protects the blade. An Edo-period gold-wrapped ni-ju habaki accompanies the sword.