A Nagamune Wakizashi (長旨)

The NTHK-NPO has attributed this long, slender wakizashi to Ogasawara Nagamune of the first generation, ranked by Fujishiro as Jojo-saku – a highly superior swordsmith with a particular reputation for forming suguha hamon of refined precision. The sword is unsigned in ubu nakago (unaltered tang), which is entirely characteristic of Nagamune, whose confirmed works are relatively rare: according to the Fujishiro brothers in their book Nihon Shinto Jiten, Nagamune began his career making horse bits and returned to that trade at the end – meaning the period during which he forged swords was finite and his blades precious.

The naka suguha here – a mid-thickness straight temper line – is exactly what one expects from Nagamune’s best work: a clean, focused hamon that allows the refined itame jihada to speak for itself. There is an elegance in the restraint, a sword whose beauty rewards careful looking.

The koshirae has been unaltered since the Edo period – a remarkable preservation. The tsuba is from the Jakushi School of Saga province, depicting a beautiful mountainous landscape in nunome-zogan gold inlay on iron. The koshirae has been certified by NTHK-NPO, giving the sword two certificates in total – one for the blade, one for the fittings. Both are available to the new owner.