A Hiroshige Katana (武州下原住広重)

Some swords simply feel invincible. Forged in the rare unokubi-zukuri shape – derived from the great naginata pole arms of the warrior monks – this muscular katana by Hiroshige glides effortlessly in the hand. The secret lies in the skillfully bevelled spine, which sheds excess weight without sacrificing any structural integrity. It is a form that speaks directly to purpose: fast, powerful, and entirely reliable.

The Shitahara school of Musashi province (present-day Hachioji, Tokyo) built a formidable reputation for producing swords the samurai warrior class could trust with their lives. They are the only school known to have worked in the Bushu region prior to the 1600s, and this blade – datable from the Kan’ei to Kanbun eras (circa 1624 to 1673) – represents the school at the height of its output. The original, unaltered ubu-nakago carries a distinctive tanago-bara shape, its upper section bulging before tapering into a narrow lower body – said to resemble the belly of a bitterling fish.

The hamon is a lively composition of wavy notare mixed with ko-gunome, punctuated by bright scattered spots of tobiyaki and the crab-claw formations of kanitsume on the reverse. A golden flash of kinsuji rips through the temper line, while the spine has been tempered in the Sôshû tradition – the distinctive muneyaki confirming this smith’s stylistic debt to that great lineage. Completing the package is a stunning custom koshirae commissioned in 2019, built around the theme of inoshishi (the wild boar) to mark the Year of the Wild Boar.