Nakigitsune · Sayo Saan · Important Cultural Properties

Famous works

The Nakigitsune, which was a National Treasure before the war; the tachi Sayo Saan; a tantō discovered in the 20th century; and his designated ken and tantō.

On this page
  1. The Nakigitsune
  2. The Nakigitsune, in eight photos
  3. The tachi Sayo Saan
  4. His designated blades and those in museums

The Nakigitsune

The 鳴狐 (Nakigitsune) is in the Tokyo National Museum, donated by Watanabe Seiichirō, and is an Important Cultural Property. It was a National Treasure under the 1929 law, designated on 19 January 1931, when it belonged to the Akimoto family; with the 1950 law it became an Important Cultural Property, according to Japanese Wikipedia. The origin of the nickname is unknown; it passed from Ishiguro Jinemon, a retainer of Ikeda Toshitaka of Himeji, to the Akimoto of Tatebayashi.

It measures 54.0 cm; its sori is 1.6 cm according to Sesko and 1.5 cm according to Japanese Wikipedia. Sesko calls it a meibutsu, but its entry in the Kyōhō meibutsuchō (享保名物帳) has not been located.

The tachi Sayo Saan

The tachi 小夜左庵国吉 (Sayo Saan Kuniyoshi), of 72.5 cm, takes its name from the pseudonym of its collector, Shibata Masatarō. It became an Important Art Object on 6 September 1939, in the name of Ōhashi Fujio, and an Important Cultural Property on 19 July 1952; the Kyoto National Museum bought it in 2019, according to Japanese Wikipedia. The Kyoto National Museum holds a tachi 太刀 銘国吉 (tachi mei Kuniyoshi) that is an Important Cultural Property. As it is the only tachi of his of that rank in the museum, the record is very probably that of the Sayo Saan, although no source consulted says so expressly.

A long, curved tachi blade on a black background, with the tang on the left and a groove.
The tachi 太刀 銘国吉 (tachi mei Kuniyoshi) of the Kyoto National Museum. Kyoto National Museum, via ColBase (photo: 岡田愛, Okada Ai) · ColBase terms of use · source

His designated blades and those in museums

WorkRankWhere it isDetails
Uchigatana 刀 号鳴狐 (katana, gō Nakigitsune)Important Cultural Property (重要文化財, jūyō bunkazai); National Treasure from 1931 under the 1929 lawTokyo National Museum54.0 cm; hira-zukuri
Tachi 太刀 銘国吉 (tachi mei Kuniyoshi)Important Cultural PropertyKyoto National MuseumWith nijūba up to the bōshi
Tantō 短刀 銘国吉 (tantō mei Kuniyoshi), with a red lacquer mountingNo designationKyoto National MuseumDiscovered by a collector of the Shōwa era; its earlier history is unknown
Ken 剣 銘国吉 (ken mei Kuniyoshi)Important Cultural PropertyPrivate collection—
Tantō 短刀 銘国吉 (tantō mei Kuniyoshi)Important Cultural PropertyPrivate collection—
Signed tantō, of the Asano familyImportant Cultural PropertyNot recorded22.9 cm
Ken 剣 銘国吉 (ken mei Kuniyoshi)Important Art Object (重要美術品, jūyō bijutsuhin)Tokugawa Art Museum (Tokugawa Bijutsukan)—
Signed tantō, with machi-okuriTokubetsu jūyō tōken (NBTHK)Not recorded29.1 cm
Signed tantō, of the Aoyama familyImportant Art ObjectNot recorded20.4 cm
Tantō 短刀 銘国吉 号蛇切 (tantō mei Kuniyoshi, gō Hebikiri)No designation statedPrivate collection—