Tanto Wakasa (no) Kami Ujifusa 16th century and Koshirae Edo period

Tanto by Wakasa-no-Kami Ujifusa

This tanto is a striking example of Japanese swordsmithing art. The blade, forged between 1570 and 1573 by master Wakasa-no-Kami Ujifusa, is certified by the NBTHK as a "specially preserved sword." The tanto is mounted in an antique artistic koshirae (fittings) from the Edo period (1603–1867), also certified by the NBTHK as a work worthy of special preservation.

Sword type: Tanto (short sword).

Swordsmith: Wakasa-no-Kami Ujifusa (Ujifusa I) of the Kanefusa lineage (son of Zensai Kanefusa).

Date of manufacture: Approximately the Genki era (1570–1573).

Blade:

Length (hatcho) — 272 mm.
Curvature (sori) — 3 mm.
Width at base (motohaba) — 28 mm.
Thickness at base (motokasane) — 6.3 mm.
Classic shape, with two straight bo-hi (fullers) running along both sides.

Tang:

Length (keicho) — 113 mm.
The front side (nakago sash-omote) bears the smith's signature (mei) in five characters: "Wakasa-no-Kami Ujifusa." The signature, character size, and placement on the tang are characteristic of the 1570s.

Storage mounting (shirasaya): Total length — 425 mm.

Artistic mounting (koshirae):

Antique example of historical koshirae.
Dating from the second half of the Edo period (1603–1867).
Total length (koshirae zentcho) — 500 mm.
Black lacquer saya (scabbard) with palm-fiber speckling and pine-bark texture (matsukawa-mon kuro-urushi shurotate nurizaya aiguchi wakizashi-goshirae). A rare surviving example of exceptional craftsmanship and material quality.

Storage box:

Crafted from paulownia wood (katanabako).
Adorned with a calligraphic inscription: "Tanto Ujifusa."

Documentation:

Certificate for the blade at the Tokubetsu Hozon Token ("specially preserved sword") level from the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords (Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai / NBTHK), issued in 2014.
Certificate for the artistic mounting as a work worthy of special preservation at the Tokubetsu Hozon Tosogu level from the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords (NBTHK), issued in 2011.
Expert appraisal from a specialist of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation (member of NBTHK and NTHK), 2014.

Wakasa-no-Kami Ujifusa I — founder of the Ujifusa smithing school

Wakasa-no-Kami Ujifusa I is a renowned swordsmith from the end of the "Old Sword" (Koto) period and the founder of the Ujifusa school.

In the third year of the Tenbun era (1534), a son named Kyosaburo was born into the family of hereditary smith Kanefusa. After his father's death, the eldest son took over the Kanefusa smithing house, assuming the name Kunifusa with the title Iwami-no-Kami. However, poor health prevented him from managing family affairs, and his younger brother Kyosaburo took his place — initially working as Kanefusa, but later changing his name to Ujifusa.

The swords forged by Ujifusa I during his period working as Kanefusa (including the tanto presented here) are executed in the tradition of the Seki school. In those years, the Seki school was in a state of decline, partly due to the restrictive edicts of Oda Nobunaga. After adopting the name Ujifusa, the smith increasingly followed new trends that would later coalesce into what is known as the "New Sword" (Shinto) period.

Having received the honorary title of Wakasa-no-Kami, Ujifusa moved to the vicinity of Gifu Castle, and later to Azuchi. It was during these years that the star of the great general Oda Nobunaga rose — the man who sought to become the sole ruler of all Japan. Nobunaga did much to dismantle mass sword production. An era of individual smiths began, each seeking the patronage of powerful lords. Ujifusa came to forge for the Oda house.

In June of the tenth year of Tensho (1582), the forces of the once-loyal general Akechi Mitsuhide stormed the capital, Kyoto. At the Battle of Honnoji Temple, Nobunaga — wounded in the arm — chose to end his own life through seppuku (ritual disembowelment). Many smiths were left without work. After Nobunaga's death, Wakasa-no-Kami Ujifusa left Azuchi Castle and, via Gifu, moved to the lands of Owari, where he finally settled and passed away at the age of 57.

Legacy

The Ujifusa lineage did not end with the master's death. The name Ujifusa passed to his son Heijuro, born in the tenth year of Eiroku (1567). It is known that in the fifteenth year of Keicho (1610), Ujifusa II established himself near Nagoya Castle. He was succeeded by Chojiro Ujifusa — a third-generation master, who died at an advanced age in the first year of Kanbun (1661).