A Harumitsu Tanto (備州長船春光)

During the late Muromachi period – Japan’s era of great wars – several generations of smiths bearing the name Harumitsu worked from the village of Osafune in Bizen province. This tanto, signed and dated to the 8th month of Tensho 10 (August 1582), is a treasure from that tumultuous time. The nioguchi is tight and consistent in classic Bizen fashion, cutting along the blade with precision. The upper area of the steel has been heat-treated – hitatsura – producing spectacular islands of tobiyaki. This blade is alive.

The Harumitsu family were known for their horimono (engravings), and this tanto carries two fine examples. On the blade: a curled tsume (claw) with goma hashi (Shinto altar chopsticks), and a magnificent dragon coiled around a sword – so no kurikura. These are spiritual talismans, worked into the steel to offer protection to the Samurai who carried the blade.

The Meiji period aikuchi-koshirae is refined and considered. Three golden oak leaves adorn the black lacquer saya – oak leaves, in Japanese tradition, fall only when new buds appear, making them a symbol of renewal and prosperity. A silver chrysanthemum loop fastened to the scabbard adds an Imperial note. NBTHK Hozon papers confirm the authenticity of the signature and date.