A Dagger Dated 1350, National Treasure since 1957
Tanto Dagger (signed Yukihiro of Chikushu; dated the eighth month of 1350) (短刀〈銘筑州住行弘／観応元年八月日〉) is a Nanbokucho-period dagger kept at the Tsuchiura City Museum, 1-15-18 Chuo, Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki Prefecture, designated a National Treasure on 19 February 1957. It had become an Important Cultural Property on 3 July 1941. The quantity is one blade, the category applied arts, and the designation number 00207.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs gives the date as 1350. Because month and year are cut into the signature, the date of making is fixed.
The placement is recorded too: above the peg hole, a long signature on the front and the date on the reverse. Chikushu ju Yukihiro on one face, the eighth month of 1350 on the other.
Probably the Only One
The Agency's commentary places the dagger as follows.
The work of Yukihiro of the Sa school of Chikuzen province. Signed works by Yukihiro are extremely few, and among them this dagger is probably the only one that also carries a date. The ground and edge are sound, and it is valuable as material for the study of the Sa school.
Probably the only one. The record does not assert uniqueness outright but says only that it appears to be so, a careful form of words in an official document.
The limitation works in two stages: signed works by Yukihiro are already very few, and among those, one alone seems to carry a date. Being signed and being dated are separate rarities.
The assessment closes with value as material for the study of the Sa school. What is cited is not the quality of the single piece alone but its use as a reference point for the school.
The Maker Field Reads Sa
The Agency's maker field reads Sa, not Yukihiro as the signature does.
The name of the school stands in the maker field. The Sa school was a line of smiths in Chikuzen province, and Yukihiro was one of them, recorded here under the name of the line rather than his own.
Another work of the same school is the dagger signed Kunihiro, kept at the Ehime Prefectural Museum of Art. Yukihiro and Kunihiro belong to the same line.
Tsuchiura City owns the dagger, the Tsuchiura City Museum keeps it, and the managing body is the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords. Owner, holder and managing body are three different bodies.
An Inward Curve
The Agency gives the form as flat-sided, with a three-faceted back, curving inward, of ordinary shape. It measures 23.5 centimetres long and 2.2 centimetres wide at the base.
Curving inward means the blade bends slightly towards its cutting edge. Most swords curve towards the back, so this is the opposite, a form seen in daggers.
The edge pattern is undulating with irregular elements mixed in and legs entering, and above the striking area it slants against the run of the blade. The striking area lies towards the point, so the tilt of the pattern changes there.
At the point the pattern runs in irregularly, thrusts up and comes to a peak, while on the reverse it inclines slightly downward. The point reads differently on the two faces.
The tang is unaltered with a rounded end, the file marks strongly slanted, and a single peg hole. Because the tang was never worked on, the long signature and the date survive.
Seeing It
Tsuchiura City owns the dagger and the Tsuchiura City Museum keeps it. It is not necessarily on permanent display, and whether and when it is shown depends on the museum's programme.
Swords are readily rotated in and out of display, and periods on view are often kept short for the sake of light and humidity control. Confirm that it is on show if the object itself is the purpose of the visit.
What repays looking at is the long signature on the front and the date on the reverse. Both are cut above the peg hole, so they can be seen only if the tang is exposed in the display.
The museum is at 1-15-18 Chuo, Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki Prefecture. Hours and admission may change, so check before travelling.
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Q&A
- When was this dagger designated?
- On 19 February 1957, having become an Important Cultural Property on 3 July 1941. It is listed as one blade in the applied arts category under designation number 00207, with the date given as 1350.
- Why is it valued?
- The Agency records that signed works by Yukihiro are extremely few and that among them this dagger is probably the only one that also carries a date. Being signed and being dated are separate rarities, and the record says probably rather than asserting it.
- Who made it?
- The signature reads Chikushu ju Yukihiro, but the Agency's maker field reads Sa, the name of a line of smiths in Chikuzen province. It is recorded under the name of the line rather than the individual. Another work of the same school is the dagger signed Kunihiro at the Ehime Prefectural Museum of Art.
- What is its shape?
- The Agency gives flat-sided, with a three-faceted back, curving inward, of ordinary shape, measuring 23.5 centimetres long and 2.2 centimetres wide at the base. Curving inward means it bends slightly towards its cutting edge, the opposite of most swords.
- Where can it be seen?
- Tsuchiura City owns it and the Tsuchiura City Museum keeps it. It is not necessarily on permanent display, and periods on view are often short for the sake of light and humidity control, so confirm that it is on show before travelling.
Basic Information
| Name | Tanto Dagger (signed Yukihiro of Chikushu; dated the eighth month of 1350) (短刀〈銘筑州住行弘／観応元年八月日〉) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-15-18 Chuo, Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki Prefecture (Tsuchiura City Museum) |
| Designation | National Treasure (applied arts), designation no. 00207 |
| Year Designated | 1941 (3 July), Important Cultural Property; 1957 (19 February), National Treasure |
| Quantity | 1 blade |
| Dimensions | 23.5 cm long, 2.2 cm wide at the base. Flat-sided, three-faceted back, curving inward, of ordinary shape. The edge pattern is undulating with irregular elements mixed in, slanting sharply above the striking area. The tang is unaltered with a rounded end and 1 peg hole, carrying a long signature on the front and the date on the reverse above the peg hole. Made 1350 |
| Owner | Tsuchiura City (managing body: the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords) |
| Public Access | Not necessarily on permanent display; whether and when it is shown depends on the museum's programme |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: the dagger signed Yukihiro of Chikushu
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/201/503
- Cultural Heritage Online: the dagger signed Yukihiro of Chikushu
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/148588
- Cultural Heritage Online: Tsuchiura City Museum
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/museums/detail/12024
- Agency for Cultural Affairs: introduction to cultural properties
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bunkazai/shokai/
Last verified: 2026.09.04
