A Daiminkin Wakizashi (大明京)

Born with the family name Kunishige and also known by Korei Yakuro, swordsmith Daiminkin (also read Daiminkyo) lived in the picturesque Samurai city of Matsue – the “City of Water” – in Izumo province. It is said that the Daiminkin family traces its roots to the Korean peninsula, in the manner of the Rai School of the Kamakura period. There are three generations of Daiminkin; this is the work of the first, or shodai. The ubu nakago is signed with his name in full.

The tsuka (hilt) is made of beautifully aged antique rosewood from the Edo period – a rare and very expensive material that only a Samurai of significant prestige could have commissioned. Delicately carved rowboats, much like Venetian gondolas, are depicted on the fuchi-kashira, paying tribute to the canals of Matsue. The wavy gunome hamon with its signature “Jizo boshi” (rounded boshi) complements this water-borne imagery beautifully, the wooden hilt evoking a vessel floating along a calm surface.

The sword carries two certificates of authenticity: a vintage NBTHK Tokubetsu Kicho from 1969 (granting the wakizashi Especially Precious status), and an NTHK-NPO Kanteisho from 2014 certifying the koshirae fittings. Note also the demon figure on the kozuka (utility knife), warding off evil spirits. Fujishiro ranks Daiminkin as Chujo-saku – an above-average swordsmith.