| Product No. KA-0859 見龍子永茂 | |
|---|---|
| Mei |
Kenryushi Nagashige Back: Dated Bunka 1 (1804), with the inscription “于余作” (Made by myself in Bunka 1, 1804), followed by a kao (stylized signature) |
| Shape | Shinogi-zukuri, iori-mune, chu-kissaki. A graceful sugata with a wide mihaba, thick kasane, and well-balanced sori |
| Region | Sendai, Mutsu Province |
| Era | Late Edo Period |
| Length |
60.6 cm 23.9 in |
| Sori (curvature) |
1.2 cm 0.5 in |
| Motohaba |
3.2 cm 1.3 in |
| Sakihaba |
2.1 cm 0.8 in |
| Munekasane |
0.7 cm 0.3 in |
| Status | Tokubetsu Hozon Token |
| Certification Date | February 16, 2026 |
| Registration Authority | Saitama Prefecture |
| Registration Date | December 16, 1953 |
| Jihada (Metal pattern) | Finely forged, tightly packed ko-itame-hada |
| Hamon (Temper line) | Gunome-midare with a suguha-style yakidashi. Tama (round, isolated areas of tempering) appear in the monouchi on both sides of the blade |
| Bōshi (Point / Tip) | Straight with a slight hakikake tendency, forming a ko-maru with a turnback |
| Nakago (Tang) | Ubu, with sujikai file marks incorporating kesho-yasuri, and a ha-agari kurijiri tip |
| Mekugiana (Rivet holes) | 1 |
| Habaki | Copper habaki covered with silver foil, featuring horizontal file marks |
| Mountings | Koshirae-tsuki |
| Koshirae | Uchigatana koshirae with a black roiro lacquered saya |
| Koshirae Length |
92.0 cm 36.2 in |
| Tsuka Length |
23.1 cm 9.1 in |
| Tsuba | Bamboo and Tiger Design. Copper ground, high-relief carving (taka-sukibori), inlay and iroe, with a shakudo rim (fukurin) |
| Menuki | Folding Fan Design. Shakudo ground, katachibori with gold iroe |
| Fuchigashira | Fukurokuju and Chinese Figures Design. Polished shibuichi ground, takabori (high-relief carving), inlay and iroe |
| Other details | Tsuka: White same (rayskin), wrapped with unohana-colored (pale ivory) thread in tsumami-maki style |
Price |
800,000 JPY |
| Nagashige, whose personal name was Tashiro Kyuemon, studied under Omi no Kami Tsuguhira. He belonged to the Tashiro lineage, one of the two principal swordsmith lineages of the Sendai domain, alongside the Hongo lineage of Sendai Kunikane. He was adopted by the fourth-generation head of the Nagashige family and succeeded him as the fifth-generation head. His original smith name was Kiyotoshi. During the Horeki era (1751–1764), by order of the Sendai domain, he inherited the name Nagashige from his grandfather and received the honorary title of Settsu no Kami. In later years, he changed his smith name to Nagashige (永茂). He was a swordsmith in the service of the Date family, active from the Horeki era through the Bunka era (1804–1818), and used the art name Kenryushi. This katana was made in Bunka 1 (1804), during Kenryushi Nagashige's mature period. The inscription on the reverse of the tang includes the characters “于余作,” in which “于” means “in” or “at the time of,” and “余作” means “made by myself.” Thus, the inscription may be interpreted as “Made by myself in Bunka 1 (1804),” followed by his kao (stylized signature). This deliberate and unusual wording suggests that the sword was a particularly carefully crafted work. In 2026, this katana passed the NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Token shinsa. It is accompanied by an uchigatana koshirae with a black roiro lacquered saya. |
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