A Yoshihara Kuniie Tachi (武蔵住国家作)

Yoshihara Shoji, forging under the name Kuniie as the third generation of that lineage, stands among the most celebrated living swordsmiths in Japan. He is the grandson of the first-generation Kuniie (Yoshihara Katsukichi, born 1894) and the younger brother of the renowned Yoshindo Yoshihara. Designated a City of Tokyo Intangible Cultural Asset and serving as executive director of the All Japan Swordsmith Association, Kuniie sensei achieved the top rank of mukansa – exempt from judging – in 1982, a distinction awarded only to those whose mastery is beyond question. His accolades include the Bunkacho Director’s Award three times, the NBTHK Hon. Chairman Award three times, the Kunzan Award, the Kanzan Award, and the Award for Excellence twice.

This tachi, signed and dated Heisei 9 (1997), was crafted in the Bizen tradition and displayed in that same year’s Shinsaku-to Ten modern sword exhibition as a mukansa-level entry – the designation inscribed on the reverse of the nakago. The blade carries majestic deep curvature (2.6cm sori) and a commanding 77.6cm nagasa, its proportions evoking the great tachi of the Kamakura period. A full-length bo-hiruns along both sides of the blade, lending it elegant line and reducing weight without compromising presence.

The jihada is worked in fine itame hada with tobiyaki – isolated bright islands of hardened steel jumping beyond the hamon – and a subtle shirake utsuri, a thin whitish cloud along the shinogi reflective of classic Bizen technique. The hamon is the sword’s showpiece: a spectacular gunome choji midare with yo, those prized clusters of nie crystals scattered like leaves within the temper line. The new caretaker will also receive a 31-minute English-subtitled documentary DVD, Tanto Ikkan, filmed in 2014 by QUEST Co., Ltd, which follows Kuniie sensei through every stage of making a tachi closely resembling this one.