A Sukenao Katana (近江守高木住助直作)

Ômi no Kami Sukenao stands among the finest students to emerge from Echizen no Kami Sukehiro‘s workshop, and this jûyô tôken katana shows exactly why. Sukenao trained directly under the grandmaster, married his younger sister, and after Sukehiro died without an heir in 1682 took up permanent residence in Ôsaka, carrying the Tsuda school forward himself. He is ranked jôjô-saku by Fujishiro, with 59 blades having reached jûyô and a further 4 attaining tokubetsu jûyô, placing him firmly among the leading names of Ôsaka shintô.

This blade carries Sukenao’s signature tôranba hamon, the surging wave pattern his teacher Sukehiro first originated and that continues to inspire collectors today. The jihada is a well-grained ko-itame with fine chikei and shimmering ji-nie, while the hamon builds from a straight start into vigorous ô-gunome with square shoulders, tama formations and long ashi, all wrapped in a bright nioiguchi. Kinsuji and sunagashi run through both the hamon and the boshi, the tip finishing in a sweeping hakikake with a full, confident return. The NBTHK called the forging “especially outstanding”, stating plainly that this is a masterwork in which Sukenao’s true ability is fully and unreservedly expressed.

The katana is ubu, its nakago in wonderful condition and carrying Sukenao’s own decorative kôzutsumi-yasuri file marks, adapted from Sukehiro’s own pattern but cut at a steeper angle. It remains in shirasaya with a gold habaki over a copper ground, so it arrives at its next home as an ideal canvas for a custom koshirae project – wave fittings, anyone? If you were to own only one shintô period blade in a collection, there is a strong case for it being this one.