List of National Treasures of Japan (crafts: swords)
Type/Name Signature Swordsmith Remarks Date Size Present location
Tantō Yukimitsu ( 行光 ) Yukimitsu ( 行光 ) Formerly owned by the Maeda clan ; blade exhibits intermediary style between straight tempering pattern used by Yukimitsu 's teacher , Gokunimitsu , and curved-wave tempering pattern of his student , Masamune 1300 Kamakura period , 14th century 26.2 cm ( 10.3 in ) Tokyo Tokyo Tokyo National Museum Tokyo National Museum , Tokyo
Tantō Kunimitsu ( 国光 ) Shintōgo Kunimitsu - 1293 Kamakura period , around Einin to Shōwa eras ( 1293-1317 ) 25.5 cm ( 10.0 in ) Tokyo Tokyo Private Private , Tokyo
Tantō Kunimitsu ( 国光 ) Shintōgo Kunimitsu - 1293 Kamakura period , around Einin to Shōwa eras ( 1293-1317 ) - Osaka Osaka Private Private , Osaka
Tantō or Aizu Shintōgo ( 会津新藤五 ) Kunimitsu ( 国光 ) Shintōgo Kunimitsu Formerly owned by Gamō Ujisato . The name , Aizu , refers to the Aizu area which he controlled 1293 Kamakura period , late 13th century 25.5 cm ( 10.0 in ) Hiroshima ? ? ? Private Private , Hiroshima
Katana Unsigned Masamune With an inscription in gold inlay from 1609 : Owned by Shiro Lord of Izumi ( 城和泉守所持 , Shiro Izumi no Kami shoji ) and Masamune Suriage Honami ( 正宗磨上本阿 ) ( authenticated by Honami Kōtoku as Masamune sword ) ; formerly in possession of the Tsugaru clan ; curvature 2.1 cm ( 0.83 in ) 1300 Kamakura period , 14th century , before Gentoku era ( 1329 ) 70.8 cm ( 27.9 in ) Tokyo Tokyo Tokyo National Museum Tokyo National Museum , Tokyo
Katana or Kanze Masamune ( 観世正宗 ) Unsigned Masamune Formerly in the possession of the Kanze school , a Noh school 1288 Kamakura period , around Shōō to Karyaku eras ( 1288-1328 ) 64.4 cm ( 25.4 in ) Tokyo Tokyo Tokyo National Museum Tokyo National Museum , Tokyo
Katana or Tarō-saku Masamune ( 太郎作正宗 ) Unsigned Masamune - 1288 Kamakura period , around Shōō to Karyaku eras ( 1288-1328 ) 64.3 cm ( 25.3 in ) Tokyo Tokyo Maeda Ikutokukai Maeda Ikutokukai , Tokyo
Katana or Nakatsukasa Masamune ( 中務正宗 ) Unsigned Masamune With a gold inlay inscription : Masamune Honami Kaō ( 正宗本阿花押 ) ; formerly held by Honda Tadakatsu whose official rank was Nakatsukasa Daisuke ; later handed down in the Tokugawa clan ; curvature : 1.7 cm ( 0.67 in ) 1300 Kamakura period , 14th century , before Gentoku era ( 1329 ) 67.0 cm ( 26.4 in ) Tokyo Tokyo Agency for Cultural Affairs Agency for Cultural Affairs , Tokyo
Tantō or Hyūga Masamune ( 日向正宗 ) Unsigned Masamune Formerly in the possession of Ishida Mitsunari who gave this sword to the husband of his younger sister ; the sword was stolen during the Battle of Sekigahara by Mizuno Katsushige , governor of Hyūga Province 1288 Kamakura period , around Shōō to Karyaku eras ( 1288-1328 ) 24.8 cm ( 9.8 in ) Tokyo Tokyo Mitsui Memorial Museum Mitsui Memorial Museum , Tokyo
Tantō or Kuki Masamune ( 九鬼正宗 ) Unsigned Masamune - 1300 Kamakura period , 14th century , before Gentoku era ( 1329 ) 24.8 cm ( 9.8 in ) Okayama Okayama Hayashibara Museum of Art Hayashibara Museum of Art , Okayama , Okayama
Tantō or Kitchen knife Masamune ( 庖丁正宗 , Hōchō Masamune ) Unsigned Masamune The name Kitchen knife refers to the unusually short and wide shape of the knife . In addition to this item , there are two other national treasure kitchen knives by Masamune 1300 Kamakura period , 14th century , before Gentoku era ( 1329 ) 24.1 cm ( 9.5 in ) Aichi Nagoya Tokugawa Art Museum Tokugawa Art Museum , Nagoya , Aichi
Tantō or Terasawa Sadamune ( 寺沢貞宗 ) Unsigned Sadamune Name derives from the fact that this sword was a favorite of Terasawa Shima no Kami Hirotaka who passed it on to Tokugawa Hidetada and further to Tokugawa Yorinori , lord of the Kishu fief 1335 Kamakura period , mid 14th century , around Gentoku to Kenmu eras ( 1329-1338 ) 29.4 cm ( 11.6 in ) Tokyo Tokyo Agency for Cultural Affairs Agency for Cultural Affairs , Tokyo
Tantō or Kitchen knife Masamune ( 庖丁正宗 , Hōchō Masamune ) Unsigned Masamune The name Kitchen knife refers to the unusually short and wide shape of the knife . In addition to this item , there are two other national treasure kitchen knives by Masamune 1300 Kamakura period , 14th century , before Gentoku era ( 1329 ) 21.8 cm ( 8.6 in ) Tokyo Tokyo Eisei Bunko Museum Eisei Bunko Museum , Tokyo
Tantō or Kitchen knife Masamune ( 庖丁正宗 , Hōchō Masamune ) Unsigned Masamune The name Kitchen knife refers to the unusually short and wide shape of the knife . In addition to this item , there are two other national treasure kitchen knives by Masamune 1288 Kamakura period , around Shōō to Karyaku eras ( 1288-1328 ) 21.7 cm ( 8.5 in ) Osaka Osaka Kinshukai Kinshūkai ( 錦秀会 ) , Osaka
Tantō or Tokuzen-in Sadamune ( 徳善院貞宗 ) Unsigned Sadamune Maeda Gen ' i , also known as Abbot Tokuzen-in ( a temple name ) received this dagger from Toyotomi Hideyoshi ; later it was handed down in the Tokugawa clan and the Saijō branch of the Matsudaira clan 1329 Kamakura period , 14th century , around Gentoku to Kenmu eras ( 1329-1338 ) 35.5 cm ( 14.0 in ) Tokyo Tokyo Mitsui Memorial Museum Mitsui Memorial Museum , Tokyo
Tantō or Fushimi Sadamune ( 伏見貞宗 ) Unsigned Sadamune With a red lacquer stamp by a Honami sword appraiser 1329 Kamakura period , 14th century , around Gentoku to Kenmu eras ( 1329-1338 ) - Hyogo Nishinomiya Kurokawa Institute of Ancient Cultures Kurokawa Institute of Ancient Cultures ( 黒川古文化研究所 , Kurokawa Kobunka Kenkyūjo ) , Nishinomiya , Hyōgo
Katana or Tortoise shell Sadamune ( 亀甲貞宗 , Kikkō Sadamune ) Unsigned Sadamune Name ( tortoise shell ) refers to an engraving on the tang : a chrysanthemum within a hexagon , resembling a tortoise shell ; curvature : 2.4 cm ( 0.94 in ) 1329 Kamakura period , 14th century , around Gentoku to Kenmu eras ( 1329-1338 ) 70.9 cm ( 27.9 in ) Tokyo Tokyo Tokyo National Museum Tokyo National Museum , Tokyo
Tachi Sukezane ( 助真 ) Kamakura Ichimonji Sukezane ( 鎌倉一文字助真 ) Sword by the founder of the Kamakura Ichimonji school ; curvature 1.8 cm ( 0.71 in ) 1200 Kamakura period , 13th century , around Bun'ei era ( 1264-1275 ) 67.0 cm ( 26.4 in ) Tokyo Tokyo Tokyo National Museum Tokyo National Museum , Tokyo
Tachi Sukezane ( 助真 ) Kamakura Ichimonji Sukezane ( 鎌倉一文字助真 ) Sword by the founder of the Kamakura Ichimonji school ; formerly held by Tokugawa Ieyasu 1200 Kamakura period , 13th century , around Bun'ei era ( 1264-1275 ) 71.2 cm ( 28.0 in ) Tochigi Nikko Nikko Toshogu Nikkō Tōshō-gū , Nikkō , Tochigi
Treasures -- Old swords ( kotō )
Katana by Masamune with an inscription Shiro Izumi no Kami shoji ( 城和泉守所持 ) in gold inlay The Sōshū ( or Sagami ) tradition owes its origin to the patronage of the Kamakura shogunate set up by Minamoto no Yoritomo in 1185 in Kamakura , Sagami Province . [ 45 ] [ 52 ] Though the conditions for swordsmithing were not favourable , the intense military atmosphere and high demand for swords helped to establish the school . [ 45 ] The tradition is believed to have originated in 1249 , when Awataguchi Kunitsuna from the Yamashiro tradition forged a tachi for Hōjō Tokiyori . [ 52 ] Other recognized founders were Ichimonji Sukezane and Saburo Kunimune , both from the Bizen tradition . [ nb 13 ] [ 79 ] [ 45 ] The Sōshū tradition 's popularity increased after the Mongol invasions ( 1274 , 1281 ) . [ 27 ] It is characterized by tantō daggers that were produced in large quantities ; but also tachi and katana were forged . [ 52 ] With the exception of wider and shorter so called `` kitchen knives '' ( hōchō tantō ) , daggers were 24–28 cm ( 9.4–11.0 in ) long , uncurved or with a slight curve toward the cutting edge ( uchi-zori ) . [ 42 ] Tantō known as Hyūga Masamune During the early Sōshū tradition , from the late Kamakura period to the beginning of the Nanboku-chō period , the smiths ' goal was to produce swords that exhibited splendor and toughness , incorporating some of the best features of the Bizen and Yamashiro traditions . [ 79 ] The Midare Shintōgo by Awataguchi Kunitsuna 's son , Shintōgo Kunimitsu , is considered to be the first true Sōshū tradition blade . [ 79 ] Shintōgo Kunimitsu was the teacher of Yukimitsu and of Masamune who is widely recognized as Japan 's greatest swordsmith . [ 52 ] Together with Sadamune , whose work looks modest compared to Masamune 's , these are the most representative smiths of the early Sōshū tradition . [ 79 ] Sōshū tradition sugata is characterized by a shallow torii-zori , bigger mihaba , smaller kasane , medium or large kissaki . The jihada is mostly itame-hada with ji-nie and chikei and the hamon is gunome , [ j 33 ] midareba [ j 34 ] and hitatsura . Nie , sunagashi [ j 35 ] and kinsuji [ j 36 ] are often visible in the hamon . [ 23 ]
The term National Treasure has been used in Japan to denote cultural properties since 1897,
although the definition and the criteria have changed since the introduction of the term. The swords and sword mountings in the list adhere to the current definition, and have been designated national treasures according to the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties that came into effect on June 9, 1951. The items are selected by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology based on their especially high historical or artistic value. The list presents 110 swords and 12 sword mountings from ancient to feudal Japan, spanning from the late Kofun to the Muromachi period. The objects are 
housed in Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, museums or held privately. The Tokyo National Museum houses the largest number of these national treasures, with 20 of the 122. During the Yayoi period from about 300 BC to 300 AD, iron tools and weapons such as knives, axes, swords or spears, were introduced to Japan from China via the Korean peninsula. Shortly after this event, Chinese, Korean, and eventually Japanese swordsmiths produced ironwork locally. Swords were forged to imitate Chinese blades: generally straight chokutō with faulty tempering. Worn slung from the waist, they were likely used as stabbing and slashing weapons. Although functionally it would generally be more accurate to define them as hacking rather than slashing weapons. Swordmaking centers developed in Yamato, San'in and Mutsu where various types of blades such as tsurugi, tōsu and tachi were produced.