A Sword That Records Its Own Story
Most medieval Japanese blades give up only a smith's name and perhaps a date. This tachi gives up far more. Running down both faces of its tang is an inscription of more than thirty characters that names not just the two swordsmiths who forged it, but the warrior who ordered it, his home district, his clan, the shrine he meant it for, and the very place the work was carried out. Few surviving swords from the period speak so plainly about how and why they came to exist.
The blade was made in 1329, the fourth year of the Karyaku era, late in the Kamakura period. The signature on the reverse reads that it was the work of Sahyōe-no-jō Kagemitsu of Osafune in Bizen province, together with Shinshi Saburō Kagemasa. Kagemitsu was the third-generation head of the Osafune school, the most influential line of swordsmiths in Bizen, the region that for centuries produced more of Japan's finest blades than anywhere else. Kagemasa is the more shadowy figure, thought to have been a kinsman or pupil; very few signed works of his survive, and his hand closely follows Kagemitsu's.
The front of the tang carries the dedication. It records that the donor was Ōkawara Saemon-no-jō Tokimoto of the Tanji clan, a resident of Chichibu district in Musashi province, the area that is now Saitama. Tokimoto held a land stewardship far to the west in Harima, and the inscription states that the sword was made and offered at Mikata-nishi in the Shisō district there. Its destination was Hiromine, the great shrine above present-day Himeji.
Why It Is a National Treasure
The sword was first designated an Important Cultural Property in 1937 and raised to National Treasure status in 1954. The case for it rests on two distinct strengths, one artistic and one documentary.
As a work of the forge, it shows the late-Kamakura Osafune style at its most assured. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes a straight tempered edge built up in a vertical manner, with touches of an undulating gunome pattern worked into it, the kind of controlled, restrained beauty that marked Kagemitsu's mature output. Pieces of this quality are why his name still carries weight among collectors and curators.
The second strength is rarer. A signed and dated blade that also names its patron, his province, and the shrine it was bound for is a primary historical document in steel. It fixes a moment when a warrior family from the Kantō plain reached across the country to commission a Bizen master, and it lets historians trace real ties between eastern fighting men and the western workshops that armed them. That combination of artistic rank and documentary weight is what lifted it into the highest category of protection.
What to Look For at the Glass
The blade measures 82.7 centimetres along its length, with a gentle curve of 2.6 centimetres deepest near the hilt. Seen edge-on, it has the slim, elegant proportions of its era rather than the broad heft of earlier Kamakura work.
Two things repay slow looking. The first is the surface of the steel. The forging shows a fine wood-grain pattern, and across it floats a faint, cloudy reflection known as midare-utsuri, a shadow-like band that appears and fades as you shift your angle to the light. It is one of the hallmarks of good Bizen work and almost impossible to photograph well, so the display case is the place to see it.
The second is the tang itself, the part normally hidden inside the hilt. It survives unaltered, with its original tip and a single peg-hole, which means the long inscription has come down to us exactly as the smiths cut it in 1329. Nothing has been shortened or re-signed. When the museum shows the sword, look for the photographs or rubbings of both faces of the tang, where the full dedication can be read.
The Museum and the Wider Visit
The sword is held at the Saitama Prefectural Museum of History and Folklore, set inside Omiya Park in Saitama City. Like most National Treasure blades, it is not on permanent view; conservation rules keep such pieces in storage for long stretches and bring them out only for limited periods. Checking the museum's current schedule before you travel is the single most useful thing you can do.
There is a particular reason to time a visit well. The same museum owns a second National Treasure by Kagemitsu, a short sword known as the Kenshin Kagemitsu, and it too is linked to the Ōkawara family of Musashi. When the two are shown together, as they have been in dedicated displays, you can compare a long tachi and a tantō from the same hand and the same circle of patrons side by side, which is a rare chance even for Japan.
The park around the museum is worth the trip on its own. A short walk away stands Hikawa Shrine, one of the largest and oldest shrines in the region, approached along a tree-lined avenue. Reaching the museum is straightforward: from Omiya-kōen Station on the Tobu Urban Park Line it is about a five-minute walk, and the station is only two stops and roughly four minutes from the major hub of Omiya. Parking is very limited and shared with the park, so the train is the sensible choice.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Saitama
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Tachi〈Inscribed Bizen Province, Osafune Juzabee Lieutenant
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Q&A
- Who actually made this sword, and when?
- It was forged in 1329 by Kagemitsu, the third-generation head of the Osafune school in Bizen province, working together with Kagemasa, a less documented smith thought to be from his circle. Both names appear in the signature on the tang.
- What makes the inscription so important?
- Beyond the smiths and the date, it names the patron, a Musashi warrior of the Tanji clan named Ōkawara Tokimoto, and records that the sword was dedicated to Hiromine Shrine. That turns the blade into a documentary record of a Kantō warrior commissioning a Bizen master, which is unusual to find written on the object itself.
- Can I count on seeing it on any given day?
- No. National Treasure swords are displayed only for limited periods to protect them, so the blade is often in storage. Check the museum's exhibition calendar before visiting, and watch for the special displays that feature it.
- Is this the only Kagemitsu work at the museum?
- No. The museum also holds the Kenshin Kagemitsu, a short sword that is likewise a National Treasure and likewise tied to the Ōkawara family. The two are occasionally shown together, which lets you see a long tachi and a tantō by the same hand at once.
- How do I get to the museum?
- Take the Tobu Urban Park Line to Omiya-kōen Station, which is about two stops from Omiya, then walk roughly five minutes. The museum sits inside Omiya Park, close to Hikawa Shrine. Parking is minimal, so public transport is best.
Basic Information
| Official name | Tachi, signed Bizen no kuni Osafune-jū Sahyōe-no-jō Kagemitsu, maker Shinshi Saburō Kagemasa, dated Karyaku 4 (1329), seventh month |
|---|---|
| Category | Craft (sword); National Treasure |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property, 25 May 1937; National Treasure, 20 March 1954 (designation no. 00140) |
| Quantity | One blade |
| Date | Karyaku 4 (1329), late Kamakura period |
| Makers | Osafune Kagemitsu and Kagemasa |
| Dimensions | Blade length 82.7 cm, curvature 2.6 cm, width at base 3.1 cm, width at tip 2.0 cm, point length 3.2 cm, tang length 23.2 cm |
| Owner | Saitama Prefecture |
| Location | Saitama Prefectural Museum of History and Folklore, 4-219 Takahanachō, Ōmiya-ku, Saitama City |
| Hours | 9:00–16:30 (entry to 16:00); 1 July–31 August 9:00–17:00 (entry to 16:30) |
| Closed | Mondays (except holidays and certain exceptions) and 29 December–1 January |
| Admission | Permanent exhibition: adults 300 yen, students 150 yen; special exhibitions priced higher. Free for junior high age and younger |
| Access | About 5 minutes on foot from Ōmiya-kōen Station, Tobu Urban Park Line |
| Display note | Shown only for limited periods; confirm the current schedule before visiting |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/201/5263
- Cultural Heritage Online (National Institutes for Cultural Heritage)
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/154821
- Saitama Prefectural Museum of History and Folklore, National Treasure sword and tantō display
- https://saitama-rekimin.spec.ed.jp/kokuhou_tachi_tantou
- Saitama Prefectural Museum of History and Folklore, hours and admission
- https://saitama-rekimin.spec.ed.jp/kyuukanbi_kaikanjikan_kanrannryou
- Saitama Prefectural Museum of History and Folklore, access
- https://saitama-rekimin.spec.ed.jp/access
Last verified: 2026.06.07