Katana Mumei, den Shizu

Late Kamakura period, Circa 1320

NBTHK Juyō Tōken 

Nagasa [length]: 65.6 cm
Motohaba [bottom width] 2.85 cm
Sakihaba [top width]: 1.95 cm

Motokasane [bottom thickness]: 6.4 mm

Sori [curvature]: 2 cm

Sugata [configuration]: shinogi-zukuri, iori-mune, narrow blade with a somehow deep sori, chu-kissaki

Kitae [forging pattern]: itame. Chikei and ji-nie. Yubashiri.
Hamon [tempering pattern]: gunome mixed with gunome in a deep nioi with thick nie; slight aranie with sunagashi and kinsuji.

Bōshi [point]: komaru with a slight notare. Hakikake at the top.
Nakago [tang]: ō-suriage, kurijiri, kiri yasurime; two mekugi-ana (one filled).

Origami [paper]: The blade comes with a Jūyō Tōken (Important Sword) Tokubetsu Hozon Tōken (Sword Particularly Worth of Preserving) certificate issued by the Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai in 1977 (25th session). 

Koshirae [mounts]: The sword is accompanied by a good antique koshirae with high level fittings.

Shizu Saburo Kaneuji is considered one of the great Japanese wordsmiths. He worked from the late Kamakura period to the early Nanbokucho and his works influenced the evolution of the nihontō. 

Born in Nara, he begun working with Kanenaga, founder of the Tegai school, following the Yamato tradition until, maybe tired of its classicism, he went to study the Soshu style under the great Masamune in Kamakura. He then finally moved to Mino where he founded, along with Kinju Kaneshige, the last of the five great school (gokaden).

Shizu himself was aware of the deep change that the Masamune’s teachings brought to his style and changed the first kanji of his signature “Kaneuji” when he moved to Kamakura, marking a clear distinction between the blades made in the Yamato tradition and those of his new style. These works are mainly made in the Soshu taste, with features from the Yamato tradition, the most important of which is probably the presence of masame near the hamon, which produce a very rich variety of activities such as the long sunagashi. 

The shapes of Shizu’s swords show a great variety, as he lived in a period of strong mutations and wanted to experiment different solutions.  Here, the sugata is elegant and slender, with marked funbari and chu-kissaki, as typical of the late Kamakura period; the steel is light and the hamon is extremely rich and varied, with all kinds of activity. In the hada, on an itame base with various ji-nie, there are clearly visible chikei and clouds of yubashiri. 

Shizu is considered one of the legendary juttetsu, the ten Masamune’s excellent pupils, the best to emulate his master, equaled only by Sadamune. Today his works rank from juyō and tokubetsu juyō, to juyō bijutsuhin, juyō bunkazai and kokuho (“National Treasure”).