Kantei
A long, curved blade seen whole on a black background, with the tang on the left.

Tokyo National Museum, via e-Museum · ColBase terms of use

Three National Treasures and the Uguisumaru

Famous works

Three National Treasures, six Important Cultural Properties, two tachi in the imperial collection and blades in museums.

On this page
  1. National Treasures
  2. Uguisumaru (鶯丸)
  3. Important Cultural Properties
  4. In museums
  5. In the old lists

National Treasures

  • Tachi signed 備前国友成造 (Bizen no kuni Tomonari zō), in the Tokyo National Museum: designated in 1931 and a National Treasure since 1952. It measures 79.0 cm of blade, 2.9 cm wide at the base, 1.6 cm at the point and 2.6 cm of kissaki. The curvature is 2.3 cm according to the official record and 2.4 cm according to the e-Museum. It was a donation from Yamamoto Tatsurō, according to ColBase.
  • Tachi signed 友成作 (Tomonari saku), of the Itsukushima shrine (Hiroshima), of 79.4 cm: designated in 1914 and a National Treasure since 1952.
  • A koshigatana of the Itsukushima shrine with Muromachi-period mounts, whose blade bears the signature 友成作 (Tomonari saku): designated in 1899 and a National Treasure since 1956.

Uguisumaru (鶯丸)

Tachi signed 備前国友成 (Bizen no kuni Tomonari), of 81.81 cm, in the imperial collection (御物, gyobutsu), kept by the Imperial Household. The Japanese Wikipedia dates it by its style to around the end of the 10th or the beginning of the 11th century, among the oldest surviving tachi bearing a smith’s name, and says that it was already a famous sword in the Muromachi period. In 1441, Ashikaga Yoshinori gave it to Ogasawara Masayasu; centuries later, Tanaka Mitsuaki presented it to Emperor Meiji. The Japanese Wikipedia gives “1908 (Meiji 40)” for that gift, but Meiji 40 is 1907: the year is not clear.

There is another tachi 備前国友成 (Bizen no kuni Tomonari) in the imperial collection, the one favoured by Tokugawa Nariaki, of Mito.

Important Cultural Properties

  • Tachi 友成作 (Tomonari saku) of the Takaoka shrine (Aomori), on display at the Hirosaki City Museum. Tradition says that Toyotomi Hideyoshi gave it to Tsugaru Tamenobu at the siege of Odawara.
  • Tachi 友成 (Tomonari) of the Kita-in temple (Saitama), a work of the Kamakura period.
  • Tachi of the Seikadō Foundation (Tokyo) with the date 五月六日 (gogatsu muika, “6th day of the 5th month”) and the signature 友成 (Tomonari): the two characters of the era in front of it have worn away, but old oshigata give Katei.
  • Tachi 友成作 (Tomonari saku), gilded in red, of the Kasuga shrine (Nara).
  • Tachi attributed to Tomonari (伝友成, den Tomonari) of the Mōri Museum (Yamaguchi).
  • Tachi 備前国友成 (Bizen no kuni Tomonari) of a private collection in Okayama, designated in 1987: shinogi-zukuri, iori-mune, ko-kissaki and a high koshizori.

In museums

The Kyūshū National Museum holds a tachi signed 友成 (Tomonari), F70, without national designation: 72.2 cm of blade and 3.0 cm of curvature, of the 12th century, donated by Kitazaki Tetsurō. ColBase lists other tachi signed 友成 (Tomonari) in the Tokyo National Museum, without image or designation.

In the old lists

We have not checked whether the Uguisumaru is in the 『享保名物帳』 (Kyōhō meibutsuchō). His name does not appear in the wazamono lists consulted, nor is there a cutting rating of his.