A Tanba Yoshimichi Wakizashi (丹波守吉道)

The sudare-ba is one of the most distinctive hamon in all of Japanese swordsmithing – a rolling, multi-layered temper line said to resemble the slats of a bamboo curtain. It was pioneered by the first-generation Tanba no Kami Yoshimichi in early 17th-century Kyoto and faithfully continued by the family across several generations. This elegant wakizashi is the work of the third-generation Yoshimichi, who worked from Settsu province (modern-day Osaka) and is ranked Chujo-saku – above average – by Fujishiro. The blade has been polished in traditional sashikomi, a more natural finish that uses special tsuya stones to bring the hamon’s activity to life. Under the right light, the sudare-ba gleams with a playful, almost hypnotic energy.

Yoshimichi has left a personal flourish at the kissaki: circular spots of tobiyaki appear on both sides of the tip, representing the sun and moon – a meditation on the cyclical balance of the universe that lies at the heart of Samurai culture. The blade carries both NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon and NTHK-NPO Yushusaku (Highly Excellent) certification, placing it firmly among the finest examples of this tradition in private hands.

The sword retains a refined and complete matching koshirae from the Edo period – assembled more than 150 years ago and preserved in wonderful condition throughout. The tsuba, a suaka (pure copper) example decorated with flying plover birds among clouds, has been attributed to the Nara School and holds NTHK-NPO Kanteisho certification to the mid-Edo period (1700s). The menuki carry a variation of the kiri-mon, the imperial paulownia crest famously associated with the Toyotomi clan of Osaka. A kozuka (utility knife) with a dragon design fits neatly into the lacquered saya. This is a sword frozen beautifully in time since the Edo period.