Kantei
Four views of an old blade on a black background: the point, the base of the blade and the tang on both sides, with a carved groove and several holes, and the whole blade in profile.

Swordsmith of Kyoto (Yamashiro) · mid-Heian

Gojō Kuninaga (五条国永)

A Kyoto smith of the mid-Heian period, a leading figure of the Gojō school and maker of the Tsurumaru: his times, his work, his famous works and his sources

Gojō Kuninaga (五条国永, Gojō Kuninaga) worked in the Gojō quarter of Kyoto in the middle of the Heian period. He is the main figure of the Gojō school, the only direct branch of the Sanjō school, and the maker of the Tsurumaru, a tachi of the Imperial Household.

Photo: dealer outside Japan

1053–1058
The Tengi era, where tradition places him
6
Signed blades that Sesko takes as certain
1956
His only ken, an Important Cultural Property
On this page
  1. Quick profile
  2. In short

Quick profile

Name
Kuninaga; Gojō is the Kyoto quarter where he lived AT
Kanji and reading
五条国永 (Gojō Kuninaga); signature 国永 (Kuninaga) HD
Period
Mid-Heian; the dates of his birth and death are not known. Tradition places him around the Tengi era (1053–1058) AT
Province
Yamashiro: Kyoto, in the Gojō quarter AT
School
Gojō, the only direct branch of Sanjō AT
Master and lineage
Son of Gojō Kanenaga, according to tradition; for some, his younger brother. The NBTHK gives him as son or grandson of Sanjō Arikuni AT
Generations
Probably more than one Kuninaga, according to Markus Sesko, because the signature and the workmanship change AT
Documented fact and tradition
Documented: a handful of signed blades and their designations. Tradition: his dates, his family and his number of generations. AT

In short

What we know. That he signed 国永 (Kuninaga) on a few blades: the Tsurumaru of the Imperial Household, a ken that is an Important Cultural Property and several tachi, two of them Important Art Objects.

How we know it. From those blades, described by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the NBTHK and Markus Sesko.

What we do not know. When exactly he lived, whether he was the son or the brother of Kanenaga, and how many smiths signed Kuninaga.

Sections

  1. Sanjō · Gojō · Kanenaga Life and times From Sanjō to Gojō, his place in the family and how many Kuninaga there were.
  2. Ko-Kyō-mono · suguha-chō · ko-chōji Work and style The kantei keys of his tachi and his signature, with its four manners.
  3. Gyobutsu · Important Cultural Property · meibutsu Famous works The Tsurumaru of the Imperial Household, his only ken and his signed tachi.
  4. Bibliography Sources The sources consulted on 4 October 2026, with their links.