Tachi Sword (inscribed Yoshifusa)

A Full-Length Blade Granted by the Shogun to the Shimazu

The Tachi Sword (inscribed Yoshifusa) (太刀〈銘吉房〉) is a Kamakura-period tachi by Yoshifusa of the Fukuoka Ichimonji school, location not disclosed (private collection), which in 1953 was designated a National Treasure.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records one blade 81.2 centimetres long with a curvature of 3.3 centimetres, first designated under the old system in 1931, with an uchigatana mounting designated alongside.

According to the Agency, Yoshifusa was one of the leading smiths of the Ichimonji school at its height.

The Blade

The Agency records a blade 81.2 centimetres long, a curvature of 3.3 centimetres, a little over 3.0 centimetres wide at the base and 2.0 centimetres at the tip, with a point of 3.0 centimetres and a tang of 21.2 centimetres.

According to the Agency, though long, it has never been shortened and keeps its original, imposing form, with an unaltered tang.

What to Look For

The Agency describes it as finely made and in sound condition throughout.

The Agency notes that Shimazu Tsunataka received it from the shogun Tokugawa Ietsuna in 1667, and it was handed down in the Shimazu family.

Visiting the Tachi Sword (inscribed Yoshifusa)

It is privately owned, and no official information on viewing could be found.