This extra long o-wakizashi ( ‘o’ meaning grand ) was beautifully polished in a traditional sashikomi polish.

The hamon (temper line) looks like it’s on fire.

Sashikomi is an older, more natural style of polish that uses special tsuya stones and nugui to make the hamon and its activity jump out from the blade. It is often the preferred method of polishing by afficaiandos of Japanese swords.

Swordsmith Tadashige was a pupil of Shodai Tadayuki and 2nd generation maestro Ikkanshi Tadatsuna. His surname was Inoue and he lived in Settsu, now modern-day Osaka.

The sword is signed Higashinari Ikutama no Sho Tadashige. Ikutama is a district within the ward Higashinari in Osaka. Ikutama (生国) literally translates to “alive spirit”, blessing the owner to have a long life.

As an interesting side note, Ishiyama Hongan-ji (fortress) burned down in Tensho 8 (1580) along with Ikutama-jinja (shrine) during Oda Nobunaga‘s famous Ishiyama battle.

Osaka Castle was then built on top of the same location in 1583 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi who succeeded Nobunaga who died in 1582. Ikutama-jinja was moved to its current location in Higashinari during the same year, 1583.

The sword has been granted NBTHK Koshu Tokubetsu Kicho certification of authenticity (an Extraordinarily Precious sword), the coveted vintage blue certificate.

The sword has also achieved prestigious NTHK-NPO Yushusaku. This certificate is the highest honours of the sword preservation society, and was sword was further selected as part of the NTHK-NPO’s inaugural Yushuto Catalogue of approximately 100 top swords.

In what has become one of our more spectacular custom koshirae projects, a gorgeous kiri-mon inspired koshirae was created for this sword that features same-kawa (ray skin) wrapped on the saya (scabbard) and a splendid sukashi tsuba from the early Edo period.

There are even giant Japanese hornet menuki guarding the sword!

Thank you so much for all your professionalism in helping me acquire this sword. You and your whole team deserve so much credit for presenting the sword so accurately, walking me through the acquisition and building of the koshirae, submission to NTHK-NPO and finally, intact delivery.
Please feel free to use me as a completely satisfied, (and impressed), client and reference.

It’s feedback like this that puts a jump in our stride. Please scroll to view further images of this elegant wakizashi katana and custom koshirae.

If you are interested in becoming an owner of an authentic Japanese sword, contact us, and become part of our VIP email list.

Here’s to the adventure that life gives us. Embrace it.

Pablo Kuntz
Founder, Unique Japan

If owning an authentic Japanese Samurai sword is of interest to you and your family, we would be honoured to serve you.

If you have the pleasure of living in Japan or visiting the country, we recommend that you come to one of our upcoming sword shows or schedule a private VIP meeting with us.

VIP meetings are normally held near JR Ebisu station in Tokyo at a hired gallery space. We can also arrange visits to a company office, hotel, near the airport or at a private residence.

To those exploring our collection online, be sure to download our catalogue of available swords here.

We completely respect the fact it takes a HUGE leap of personal FAITH in us to commit to a particular sword given the reliance on photos and descriptions for such a highly valued item.

It is our PROMISE to address all your questions to the best of our ability. It’s important to us that you feel completely confident that the sword you choose (and that chooses you) is destined for you and your family.

You can also take reassurance that ALL swords from Unique Japan are GUARANTEED AUTHENTIC and come with a 3-DAY WORRY FREE inspection period upon arrival to your home.

Yes, it is completely legal to own a genuine antique Japanese sword (even those that are several hundreds of years old). Unique Japan specialises in all proper legal compliances so that swords can be exported from Japan.
All required paperwork is provided free of charge for clients.

Unique Japan has safely sent well over 300 swords FROM Japan to immensely proud owners in the United States, Canada, Europe and around the world.

We look forward to making your dream of owning an authentic Japanese sword a reality for you.

→ 7 Points to Consider when Choosing your Japanese Sword
→ 5 Steps to Owning an Authentic Japanese Samurai Sword
→ Download catalogue of currently available Japanese swords
→ Building your own custom koshirae and daisho, recommended!
→ PARTS of a Japanese Sword and Mountings (High-quality images)
→ 7 reasons WHY I love Japanese swords
→ Resource Information on Japanese Swords
→ NBTHK Certification Paper Ranking for Japanese Swords
→ NTHK-NPO Certification Paper Ranking for Japanese Swords