Tachi Sword (signed Yasutsuna, known as Dojigiri Yasutsuna)

Dojigiri, One of the Five Great Swords

The Tachi Sword (signed Yasutsuna, known as Dojigiri Yasutsuna) (太刀〈銘安綱（名物童子切安綱）〉) is a Heian-period tachi by the swordsmith Yasutsuna, held by the Tokyo National Museum, which in 1951 was designated a National Treasure.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records an earlier designation under the old system in 1933. It is a single sword owned by the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage.

The Agency notes that it has long been famous under the name Dojigiri.

Form and Workmanship

The Agency records a blade length of 80.0 centimetres, curvature of 2.7 centimetres, width of 2.9 centimetres at the base and 1.9 centimetres near the point, and a point 3.1 centimetres long.

It has a ridged blade with a peaked back and a small, compact point, strongly curved near the hilt with a firm stance. The steel shows a fine wood-grain pattern with thick bright particles, irregular reflections and dark lines; the temper line is a small irregular pattern with legs and golden lines. The tang is unaltered and signed Yasutsuna above the peg hole, toward the back.

What to Look For

The Agency describes a slender, deeply curved blade with a small, graceful point and distinctive steel and temper line. The Kyoho Meibutsucho records it as owned by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and passed by Tokugawa Hidetada to the Echizen Matsudaira family. A silk-wrapped mounting and an early Edo lacquered sword box with hollyhock crests accompany it.

The Tokyo National Museum explains that Hoki Yasutsuna is a leading Heian swordsmith. The name Dojigiri, "the Doji cutter", links the blade to the legend of the demon Shuten Doji; one of the Five Great Swords under Heaven, it passed from the Ashikaga and Tokugawa shoguns to the Echizen and Tsuyama Matsudaira families.

Visiting the Tachi Sword (signed Yasutsuna, known as Dojigiri Yasutsuna)

The sword is held by the Tokyo National Museum and is not always on display; check the museum's schedule.