A Sukenao Wakizashi (近江守高木住助直)

Sukenao – born in Omi Takagi, common name Magodayu – is one of the outstanding smiths of the early Edo period. He trained under Echizen no Kami Sukehiro, arguably the greatest Ōsaka smith of the era, and later married Sukehiro’s younger sister, cementing himself as his master’s most accomplished and trusted student. His work carries the same DNA: a spectacular tōran-based hamon built from billowing ō-gunome with long ashi reaching to the edge, alive with sunagashi, kinsuji, and – here on the reverse – patches of tobiyaki. Fujishiro places him at Jōjō-saku, a highly superior rating awarded to very few smiths. His recorded output appears to end around Genroku 6 (1693), when he would have been approximately 55 years old.

This impressively long wakizashi at 54.0cm is a textbook example of everything Sukenao and the Ōsaka tradition were celebrated for. The jihada is a well-forged itame with masame appearing on the shinogi; the steel is bright and confident. The hamon is a full symphony – there will always be something new to discover along its length.

The koshirae, dated to the Taishō period, is of exceptional quality throughout. The mid-Edo iron tsuba is signed Mogarashi Nyudo Souten and depicts warriors of the great Genpei War (1180–1185) – the conflict between the Taira and Minamoto clans that gave rise to the Kamakura Shogunate. The fuchi-kashira, attributed to the Mino Goto School and certified by the NTHK-NPO, are carved in the unryū (cloud dragon) motif in gold on a shakudō ground. The habakifeatures a rock pattern in gold on a copper base. Four certificates of authenticity accompany this wakizashi.