An Uda Kunimune / Yamato Senjuin Kodachi (宇多国宗 / 大和千手院)

Few swords carry their age as gracefully as this late Kamakura kodachi. At 69.4cm with a generous 2.3cm curve retained in its original unshortened state, the blade speaks directly to the aesthetic ideals of the late 13th century – slender, deeply curved, built for a mounted warrior rather than a foot soldier. The ubu nakago is deeply oxidised after over 700 years, and although unsigned, it likely conceals a signature beneath the natural patination. The NTHK-NPO society attributes the blade to the Yamato Senjuin School, dating it to the Shou era (1288-1293), while the NBTHK attributes it to Uda Kunimune of the Ko-Uda School of Etchu province – historically connected traditions that share the same Yamato roots.

The steel itself is a pleasure to study. The jihada is a rich itame and mokume mix with a woody, textured quality characteristic of the Uda tradition. The hamon is a confident chu-suguha with ko-midare, built on a vigorous nie foundation – crystals visible and bright. Kinsuji, sunagashi, and chikei are all present in abundance. At the tip, the boshi is a sweeping hakikake, executed with the assured hand of a skilled craftsman. This is a blade that rewards careful examination in good light.

The accompanying koshirae is a genuinely distinguished package. Certified by NTHK-NPO to the 1700s middle Edo period, it is mounted with elegant tachi fittings including a polished iron Tanabata-themed tsuba – chrysanthemum piercings flanking the nakago-ana with splashes of gold-inlaid leaves – a fuchi decorated with gold berries and foliage on a dark ground, and a pair of gilt hawk menuki, symbols of bravery and restrained power. The Hikiryou kamon (a dragon expressed through horizontal lines within a circle) is struck on the kashira, a device associated with notable daimyo families including the Ashikaga and Nitta clans. The overall ensemble is coherent, refined, and historically resonant.