MassiveMoonHeh Posted March 20 Report Posted March 20 I thought it may be worthwhile put up the offical list of currently missing Jūyō Bunkazai swords being searched for by the Japanese Government (in English) so that the non-Japanese sword community can easily reference and keep track of this list for the future. The Agency for Cultural Affairs has included some information on each of the missing swords on their website (you can see this by click on the missing sword's name). Most even include photos of the sword but unfortunately the images are tiny and they do not expand when you click on them... Still it means that the Agency appears to have the images so if we see anything that looks similar we can always write to them to seek clarification. It is worth noting that unless the sword has been brought to the attention of the Agency for Cultural Affairs the sword will not appear on this list, I mention this specifically referencing the missing 55 former National Treasure (国宝, Kokuhō) and Jūyō Bijutsuhin (重要美術品) blades that went missing post-WWII during the Allied Force occupation of Japan. You will see the Honjo Masamune and the Norshige owned by Ian Brooks appear on the list, this is because the Agency has opened a case for both missing swords and therefore they are tracking them. In the case of Ian Brooks' Norishige, whilst we as a community may be pretty convinced that the blade has been found, until the Agency can examine it themselves in Japan and confirm it to be the same blade, it remains in their opinion missing. It is also worth noting that Japan has a statute of limitation when it comes to missing/stolen property, that is, within Japan it is 2 years and internationally it is 10 years. As such, even if the blade is found, if it is outside the statutes of limitation then officially the sword belongs to whom ever possesses the sword. These "new" owners can therefore choose to give the sword back or they can approach the original owner or the Japanese Government to find out if they wish to purchase the sword back. I know it seems a little out there in terms of traditional western legal logic but that is the lay of the legal landscape in Japan. It is worth noting that of the 146 currently missing Cultural Properties 74 or more than 50% of these are swords and that does not include the majority of the 55 post-WWII blades. THE CURRENT OFFICIAL LIST OF 74 MISSING JŪYŌ BUNKAZAI SWORDS 1 Jūyō Bunkazai 1952 Tanto Kunimtisu Found 2 Jūyō Bunkazai 1952 Tanto Kunimitsu 3 Jūyō Bunkazai 1953 Tachi Bishu Osafune Hidemitsu / October, Oan 22 4 Jūyō Bunkazai 1938 Katana Mumei den Norishige 5 Jūyō Bunkazai 1942 Katana Kuniyasu Found 6 Jūyō Bunkazai 1941 Tachi Tamekiyo 7 Jūyō Bunkazai 1931 Tachi Moritsugu 8 Jūyō Bunkazai 1935 Tachi Rai Kunimitsu Found 9 Jūyō Bunkazai 1941 Tachi Aki Iri Nishi / October, Einin 5 10 Jūyō Bunkazai 1935 Tachi Ichi 11 Jūyō Bunkazai 1940 Tachi Unji 12 Jūyō Bunkazai 1941 Katana Mumei Attributed to Mitsutada / Korean Crane and Gold Inlay with Signature 13 Jūyō Bunkazai 1940 Tachi Nagamitsu 14 Jūyō Bunkazai 1952 Tanto Moritsugu, resident of Bitchu / August, Enbun 2 Found 15 Jūyō Bunkazai 1933 Tachi Nagamitsu 16 Jūyō Bunkazai 1934 Tachi Hisakuni 17 Jūyō Bunkazai 1916 Tachi Nobufusa 18 Jūyō Bunkazai 1952 Tachi Nagamitsu, resident of Osafune, Bizen / Auspicious day in February, Shoan 2 19 Jūyō Bunkazai 1953 Katana Mumei den Hasebe Kunishige 20 Jūyō Bunkazai 1956 Tachi Unji, resident of Bizen 21 Jūyō Bunkazai 1941 Tachi Ietada 22 Jūyō Bunkazai 1936 Tachi Mitsutada 23 Jūyō Bunkazai 1941 Katana Mumei den Kunitoshi 24 Jūyō Bunkazai 1953 Tachi Sukehige - Theft reported (1972) 25 Jūyō Bunkazai 1933 Tachi Yoshiie 26 Jūyō Bunkazai 1941 Tachi Kunimune, resident of Bishu Osafune 27 Jūyō Bunkazai 1952 Tachi Yoshiie 28 Jūyō Bunkazai 1955 Katana Mumei den Masamune - Theft reported (1982) 29 Jūyō Bunkazai 1939 Katana Mumei den Masamune (Meibutsu Honjo Masamune) 30 Jūyō Bunkazai 1955 Katana Kinzogan-mei Sukemitsu polished by Mitsunori 31 Jūyō Bunkazai 1937 Tachi Kuniyuki 32 Jūyō Bunkazai 1955 Tachi Bitchu-no-kuni-ju Tsuguyoshi / October Teiwa 2 33 Jūyō Bunkazai 1955 Tanto Rai Kunimitsu / Gentoku 2 34 Jūyō Bunkazai 1949 Tachi Sadayoshi 35 Jūyō Bunkazai 1955 Tanto Kashu-ju Masakage / Joji 6 36 Jūyō Bunkazai 1952 Tachi Mumei Mitsutada 37 Jūyō Bunkazai 1974 Tachi Mumei den Mitsutada Found 38 Jūyō Bunkazai 1953 Tanto Yasuyoshi 39 Jūyō Bunkazai 1939 Tachi Kunisuke 40 Jūyō Bunkazai 1952 Tachi Bitchu and below Found 41 Jūyō Bunkazai 1911 Tachi Mumei - Theft reported (1960) 42 Jūyō Bunkazai 1911 Tachi Tadayoshi - Theft reported (1960) 43 Jūyō Bunkazai 1922 Tachi Tōchin 44 Jūyō Bunkazai 1940 Tanto Noshige 45 Jūyō Bunkazai 1952 Wakizashi Hiromitsu, resident of Sagami / August, Enbun 5 46 Jūyō Bunkazai 1911 Tanto Front: Mishima Daimyojin Back: Fujiwara Tomoyuki, Teiji 3 - Theft reported (1948) 47 Jūyō Bunkazai 1935 Tachi Junkei 48 Jūyō Bunkazai 1958 Tachi Mitsutada 49 Jūyō Bunkazai 1956 Tachi Sukezane 50 Jūyō Bunkazai 1935 Tachi Mitsutada 51 Jūyō Bunkazai 1954 Katana Kinzogan-mei Motoshige / Hon’Ami Found 52 Jūyō Bunkazai 1953 Tachi Kaneuji 53 Jūyō Bunkazai 1953 Tanto Kagemitsu 54 Jūyō Bunkazai 1958 Tanto Kunimtisu / March Gen’o 2 55 Jūyō Bunkazai 1970 Sanko-Duka-Ken Made by Shigeyoshi Nyudo / January 7th Genko 2 by Ajari Yorinobu 56 Jūyō Bunkazai 1961 Katana Mumei Ichimonji 57 Jūyō Bunkazai 1926 Tachi Yasuyoshi 58 Jūyō Bunkazai 1927 Tachi Made by Moriyoshi / Shirasaki Hachiman Shrine, Boshu Found 59 Jūyō Bunkazai 1936 Tachi Mumei den Sukezane 60 Jūyō Bunkazai 1927 Tachi & Mounted with gold and mother-of-pearl inlaid scabbard, Nodachi style Gyōshin 61 Jūyō Bunkazai 1928 Katana February 1616, Yoshihito, Shinano no Kami Kunihiro/ Commissioned by Igamo Lord Yasutsuna 62 Jūyō Bunkazai 1956 Katana Kuninaga Found 63 Jūyō Bunkazai 1954 Katana Mumei Sadamune (Meibutsu Ikeda Sadamune) 64 Jūyō Bunkazai 1941 Tanto Kagemitsu, Bizen no Kuni Osafune ju / February, Genko 4 65 Jūyō Bunkazai 1925 Tachi Rai Kunimtisu 66 Jūyō Bunkazai 1925 Tachi Kunihiro, Kamakura Resident / February, Bunpo 2 67 Jūyō Bunkazai 1955 Wakizashi Namihei Ieyasu Found 68 Jūyō Bunkazai 1917 Uwazu Tachi Mumei 69 Jūyō Bunkazai 1931 Renzudachi Rai Kunitoshi / March 1st, Einin 5 70 Jūyō Bunkazai 1906 Peony Wakizashi Mumei 71 Jūyō Bunkazai 1909 Tachi Nagamitsu 72 Jūyō Bunkazai 1956 Katana Mumei Gō Yoshihiro (Meibutsu Buzen-Gō) 73 Jūyō Bunkazai 1919 Katana Shuuma no Kubi Ichihei Yasuyori Kōhaku 74 Jūyō Bunkazai 1918 Katana Mumei Norishige Found – Owned by Ian Brooks If you have any images or stories associated with any of the blades in this list, please preface the comment below with the # and name of the blade as it appears in this list, it would be good to have a little repository of images and information specific to these blades to help with tracking them down. Hopefully this little list will help with the quest to find these blades. 4 5 Quote
MassiveMoonHeh Posted March 20 Author Report Posted March 20 Just now, MassiveMoonHeh said: 72 Jūyō Bunkazai 1956 Katana Mumei Gō Yoshihiro (Meibutsu Buzen-Gō) #72Buzen-Gō Sword, Unsigned, Gō Yoshihiro (Meibutsu: Buzen-Gō) Length: 2 shaku 2 sun 5 bu (68.2 cm) Curvature: 5 bu (1.5 cm) Mekugi: 1 Important Art Object, Designated May 27, 1937. Owner at the time of designation: Count Ogasawara Tadaharu, Tokyo. Important Cultural Property, Designated June 28, 1956. Buzen-Gō is said to be the work of Gō Yoshihiro, who resided in Matsukura-go, Etchu Province, and is the most flamboyant of Gō Yoshihiro's works. Ownership of the blade: The origin of the name "Buzen-Gō" is unclear, but the sword was handed down to the Ogasawara family of the Ogura Domain in Buzen Province (different from the Ogasawara family of the Echizen Katsuyama domain where Uguisumaru was kept). The Ogasawara family also owned the Hakata Toshiro, Fudou Yukimitsu, and Akita Toshiro but it is unclear if they owned them all at the same time. Designated as an Important Art Object on May 27, 1937. It was owned by Count Ogasawara Tadaharu at that time. Akita Toushirou, which was designated as an Important Art Object in the same year, was also in the same collection. In the 1949 publication "Commentary of National Important Art Objects of Yamaguchi Prefecture" is recorded that the sword is owned by Yamada Shinmatsu. Designated as an Important Cultural Property on June 28, 1956. Exhibited in the "Masamune and His Clan" exhibit held in 1961 and owned by Nakazawa Akira. Exhibited also at the "Famous Japanese Sword Exhibition" held in 1968, but the owner is not recorded. According to a 2018 survey conducted by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, its whereabouts are currently unknown. Description of the blade: Buzen-Gō differs somewhat in style from other Gō swords; while the blade width and cutting edge are of normal form, the forging shows a fine wood grain mixed with mokume, with ji-nie (small crystals in the surface), and the hamon (temper line) is a mix of gunome (irregular wave pattern), notare (undulating pattern), and choji (clove pattern), with deep indentations and extending into the shinogi (ridge line) in places. The boshi (tip) is broken down and sweeping. Although it exhibits an unusual style, it is generally consistent with other works by the same artist and is a superior example among them. It is a long tachi (long sword) that was shortened to a katana (short sword). Shape: Shinogi-zukuri, Iori-mune, slightly thin cross-section, medium-sized point. Forging: Fine wood grain pattern, mixed with mottled surface, fine ji-nie (small crystals). Hamon (temper line): Wavy with gunome (irregular wave pattern), frequent ashi (legs) and ha (leaves), with occasional kinsuji (golden lines), making the striking surface particularly brilliant on both sides. Overall, the nioi (misty effect) is very deep, with fine nie (small crystals). Boshi (tip): Irregular and sweeping pattern with kinsuji. Tang: Greatly shortened, chestnut-shaped tip, cut file marks, one mekugi-ana (peg hole). The name "Buzen-go" is written in red on the reverse side. Honma Talks: Regarding Gō Yoshihiro, Dr Junji Honma describes him in detail in his book, "Masamune and His School" (1961) The following in parentheses is an translated excerpt from the same book: "To understand the style of Yoshihiro, or Go, one should first examine Inaba-Gō (or Tomita-Gō), Murakumo-Gō, and Matsui-Gō. After fully understanding the Gō style, one should finally examine Buzen-Gō. All existing works by this artist are greatly shortened swords; no reliable short swords have been found. Swords can be broad-bladed with extended tips (e.g., Tomita-Gō), of normal width and tip (e.g., Kuwana Go), slightly extended tip (e.g., Samidare Go), or somewhat slender e.g., (Collection of the Tokyo National Museum), these are all Iori-mune. The forging is of the same type as: tightly grained ko-itame (e.g., Inaba-Gō), mostly straight grained (e.g., Murakumo-Gō), and a mixture of itame and straight grain. There is ji-kei (pattern in the steel), but it is not as prominent as in Masamune or Norishige. All have good ji-nie (small crystals in the steel), and the coarse nie is not as noticeable as in Masamune or Norishige. The hamon (temper line) is mostly shallow and irregular, mainly small notare (e.g., Inaba-Gō), in which case the nioi (cloudy effect) is particularly deep and there is ko-nie, and sunagashi (sand-like patterns) are relatively few. Also, straight, undulating, and small irregular patterns (e.g., Murakumo-Gō) have particularly prominent nie (crystals), and some have frequent sunagashi (sand-like patterns), fraying, and uchinoke (striking patterns). Some have tight straight patterns with small nie, and some have ashi (legs) and ha (leaves) (e.g., Matsui-Gō). However, ashi and ha are present in all of the above types of hamon. Moreover, all types of hamon are deeply tempered, especially from the monouchi (striking point) to the boshi (tip), and some have a single boshi. The boshi is generally less elaborate than the activity below, and sōme are shallowly irregular. Many have a rounded shape, some with a pointed shape (Matsui-Gō), some with a flame-like shape, and some with a slight sweeping effect. The hamon (temper pattern) of Buzen-Gō swords is unusual, with a deep in-and-out pattern of gunome, notare, and choji (clove-shaped) patterns, and in places extending onto the shinogi-ji (ridge line). There are no carvings other than grooves, and while Inaba-Gō sword has grooves that slope downwards and deep, skillfully crafted bo-hi (straight grooves), generally, most do not have grooves." (Reference: Reprinted, quoted, and excerpted from the Encyclopedia of Japanese Swords) #72Buzen-Gō 3 4 Quote
nulldevice Posted March 20 Report Posted March 20 I may have some these with larger images on the DB some where. I'll go through and take a peek. I do wish the Bunka site had larger images. They have missing swords but then provide a 100x200px image of the item to identify it Based on some early looking, it looks like many of these have been photographed and are documented in the Nihonto Taikan. 3 Quote
Jussi Ekholm Posted March 20 Report Posted March 20 Another good post Brett, I really enjoyed reading about Buzen-Gō I took a quick look and I think I should have pictures/oshigata and old information on 42 of the still missing swords. I do think Agency for Cultural Affairs know a lot more about the items than they wrote out on the page. I think they protect privacy of people & shrines. 2 Quote
Jussi Ekholm Posted March 22 Report Posted March 22 On 3/20/2026 at 4:15 PM, MassiveMoonHeh said: 2 Jūyō Bunkazai 1952 Tanto Kunimitsu Tantō by Shintōgo Kunimitsu designated as Jūyō Bunkazai 27.6.1959, item number 01825. Nagasa: 27.6 cm Sori: uchizori Motohaba: 2,3 cm Motokasane: 6 mm Nakago: 11,1 cm Nakago sori: slight (some books have 0,2 cm) Item is featured in Nihontō Taikan, Tantō Book (1969) by Suzuki, Tōken Bijutsu 127 as the feature sword, Tōken Bijutsu 574 as the feature sword. Historically this sword has been in collection of 山内 (Yamauchi/Yamanouchi) family. 1 1 1 Quote
Jussi Ekholm Posted March 22 Report Posted March 22 On 3/20/2026 at 4:15 PM, MassiveMoonHeh said: 3 Jūyō Bunkazai 1953 Tachi Bishu Osafune Hidemitsu / October, Oan 22 Tachi by Osafune Hidemitsu, dated 1371 designated as Jūyō Bunkazai 31.3.1953, item number 01658. Nagasa: 81,6 cm Sori: 3,0 cm Motohaba: 3,7 cm Sakihaba: 2,7 cm Motokasane: 6,5 mm Sakikasane: 4,5 mm Kissaki: 6,0 cm Nakago: 23,9 cm Nakago sori: 0,6 cm Item is featured in Nihontō Taikan, Tōken Bijutsu 362 as feature sword, Tanobe big book, Osafune Chōshi, Jukken Historically this sword has been in collection of 村上 (Murakami) family. This is just my type of sword and seems to be absolutely wonderful item. It is fun to look into these and probably the first time in 2 years I opened the big Tanobe book. 2 1 1 Quote
Ian B3HR2UH Posted March 23 Report Posted March 23 70 Peony wakizashi 71 Nagamitsu Thanks for posting this Brett . The attached photo shows 70 and 71 which were taken from the Aso Shrine in 1945 and remain missing 6 Quote
Jussi Ekholm Posted March 23 Report Posted March 23 On 3/20/2026 at 4:15 PM, MassiveMoonHeh said: 69 Jūyō Bunkazai 1931 Renzudachi Rai Kunitoshi / March 1st, Einin 5 Also taken from Aso Jinja after WWII is the famous Rai Kunitoshi ōdachi dated 1297, named sword 蛍丸 (Hotarumaru), it was former National Treasure. You can find info in Japanese for example at these sites https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/蛍丸 https://www.tsuruginoya.net/stories/hotarumaru/ Nagasa: 101,4 cm Sori: 3,4 cm Motohaba: 3,7 cm Sakihaba: 2,1 cm Motokasane: 9 mm Sakikasane: 5,7 mm Nakago: 34,2 cm Unfortunately there are extremely few images of the sword surviving. There has been a replica sword made for the shrine by modern smith. Here it is featured in Youtube video 3 Quote
nulldevice Posted March 23 Report Posted March 23 If you have a copy of the Nihonto Taikan about 25 of these 74 can be found in there. 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 10, 11, 16, 17, 19, 22, 23, 25, 31, 34, 36, 38, 39, 45, 47, 51, 52, 53, 59, 62, 65 There might be a few more, I have to just verify measurements to make sure I have the right sword and not another JuBun sword by the same smith. Edit: As always @Jussi Ekholm compiled this data. He's the true MVP here! I just put a visual wrapper around it all! 3 Quote
MassiveMoonHeh Posted March 24 Author Report Posted March 24 On 3/20/2026 at 10:15 PM, MassiveMoonHeh said: 41 Jūyō Bunkazai 1911 Tachi Mumei - Theft reported (1960) 42 Jūyō Bunkazai 1911 Tachi Tadayoshi - Theft reported (1960) #41, the unsigned tachi (long sword) (Hagane-kirimaru) and #42 the Abura-no-koji Tadayoshi tachi were stolen from the Suwa Taisha Shimosha Treasure Hall (Shimosuwa Town, Nagano Prefecture) on June 1, 1960. According to the confession of the arrested culprit, Yamada Nana, he was at a loss as to what to do with the swords, so he cut the blade and hilt and threw them into Lake Suwa. However, despite a desperate search by the police, they were never found. 1 3 Quote
MassiveMoonHeh Posted March 24 Author Report Posted March 24 On 3/20/2026 at 10:15 PM, MassiveMoonHeh said: 24 Jūyō Bunkazai 1953 Tachi Sukehige - Theft reported (1972 #24, the Sukeshige Tachi was stolen on July 22, 1972, from the Meiji Jingu Treasure Hall (Shibuya Ward, Tokyo). It bears a chrysanthemum crest and is considered the only known sword bearing the signature of Fukuoka Ichimonji Sukeshige. At the same time, an Ichimonji Yoshifusa (an important art object), Gassan Sadakazu, and Sugawara Kanenori were also displayed in the same case and were stolen. All were works cherished by Emperor Meiji. According to the investigation, the culprit hid in the Emperor's carriage before closing time the previous day, waited for the guards to leave, stole the sword, unlocked the door from the inside, and escaped. 1 Quote
MassiveMoonHeh Posted March 24 Author Report Posted March 24 On 3/20/2026 at 10:15 PM, MassiveMoonHeh said: 46 Jūyō Bunkazai 1911 Tanto Front: Mishima Daimyojin Back: Fujiwara Tomoyuki, Teiji 3 - Theft reported (1948) #46, the Tomoyuki tanto was stolen from Mishima Taisha Shrine (Mishima City, Shizuoka Prefecture) in 1948 (Showa 23). 1 Quote
MassiveMoonHeh Posted March 24 Author Report Posted March 24 On 3/20/2026 at 10:15 PM, MassiveMoonHeh said: 28 Jūyō Bunkazai 1955 Katana Mumei den Masamune - Theft reported (1982) #28, the unsigned Masamune sword was stolen from a Shinkansen train traveling west on the Tokaido line in 1982. Tokutaro Inuzuka, had been carefully selecting swords for a sword appreciation meeting to be held later that day. The Masamune sword belonged to Yoshisada Suzuki, who a few years later made a sizeable donation from his collection of swords to the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords (NBTHK.) 1 Quote
Lewis B Posted March 24 Report Posted March 24 14 hours ago, Jussi Ekholm said: (Hotarumaru), it was former National Treasure. Is it common blades to lose National Treasure status? I thought that attribution would be a forever thing. 1 Quote
MassiveMoonHeh Posted March 24 Author Report Posted March 24 15 minutes ago, Lewis B said: Is it common blades to lose National Treasure status? I thought that attribution would be a forever thing. The National Treasure status held before the war was lost and the status of Juyo Bunkazai was given under the new Important Cultural Properties laws (same time as the Important Art Objects lost their status). The current National Treasures were allocated under the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties that came into effect on June 9, 1951. It is worth noting that this list did included some of the previous National Treasures however most became Juyo Bunkazai. All the missing National Treasures from the post-WWII occupation were reallocated to the status of Juyo Bunkazai. This may change when they are recovered but of the 19 lost National Treasures, the 9 that have been found have not been reallocated to the status of National Treasure. . 4 Quote
Jussi Ekholm Posted March 24 Report Posted March 24 It is actually sometimes very difficult to track down info on some of the old swords that are currently missing or unknown. As I have the 16 book set Kokuhō Tōken Zufu that was complied in I believe 1936 to 1938, for many years I have thought it had all the former Kokuhō from the old designation. However I now understand that it is missing some former National Treasures. For example the above posted Hotarumaru was made National Treasure in 1931 but it is missing from this book. Likewise the Norishige that was found by Ian Brooks is not featured in this book either even though it was made National Treasure in 1918. And there might most likely be other former National Treasures that are not featured in this book set. On 3/20/2026 at 4:15 PM, MassiveMoonHeh said: 42 Jūyō Bunkazai 1911 Tachi Tadayoshi - Theft reported (1960) Here are picture and measurements for the Tadayoshi tachi that Brett posted earlier with the story how it was stolen. Nagasa: 74,5 cm Sori: 2,4 cm Motohaba: 2,8 cm Sakihaba: 1,6 cm Kissaki: 2,5 cm I was trying to read the old entry from 1930's but there might be few kanji that are not commonly used anymore so I hope I got the modern versions correct. There seems to be lot of history for this sword if I understood correctly. It was dedicated to the shrine by Tokugawa Tadateru (忠輝) in 1667, and the sword has/had itomaki tachi koshirae. However during the years it seems to have been mixed as the property of 大祝 (Ōhōri) family. From wikipedia I was able to understand the Ōhōri were lineage of high priests that were connected to Suwa shrine. It is written that in Tenpō (c.1830's/40's) it changed ownership from the family to someone else, then it changed hands many times until it was returned to the shrine in 1906. 2 Quote
Lewis B Posted March 24 Report Posted March 24 (edited) 43 minutes ago, Jussi Ekholm said: the Norishige that was found by Ian Brooks is not featured in this book either even though it was made National Treasure in 1918. What an amazing coincidence to be rediscovered exactly a century later. Edited March 24 by Lewis B 1 Quote
Wah Posted March 25 Report Posted March 25 4 hours ago, Jussi Ekholm said: It is actually sometimes very difficult to track down info on some of the old swords that are currently missing or unknown. As I have the 16 book set Kokuhō Tōken Zufu that was complied in I believe 1936 to 1938, for many years I have thought it had all the former Kokuhō from the old designation. However I now understand that it is missing some former National Treasures. For example the above posted Hotarumaru was made National Treasure in 1931 but it is missing from this book. Likewise the Norishige that was found by Ian Brooks is not featured in this book either even though it was made National Treasure in 1918. And there might most likely be other former National Treasures that are not featured in this book set. Here are picture and measurements for the Tadayoshi tachi that Brett posted earlier with the story how it was stolen. Nagasa: 74,5 cm Sori: 2,4 cm Motohaba: 2,8 cm Sakihaba: 1,6 cm Kissaki: 2,5 cm I was trying to read the old entry from 1930's but there might be few kanji that are not commonly used anymore so I hope I got the modern versions correct. There seems to be lot of history for this sword if I understood correctly. It was dedicated to the shrine by Tokugawa Tadateru (忠輝) in 1667, and the sword has/had itomaki tachi koshirae. However during the years it seems to have been mixed as the property of 大祝 (Ōhōri) family. From wikipedia I was able to understand the Ōhōri were lineage of high priests that were connected to Suwa shrine. It is written that in Tenpō (c.1830's/40's) it changed ownership from the family to someone else, then it changed hands many times until it was returned to the shrine in 1906. Hello Jussi, Do you have the journals written by Yuichi Hiroi called Daisojin? I have most of the journals and I'd be happy to share the articles and photos of the missing swords. The Norishige was in these journals also but I sent those issues to Mr. Brooks. Here is a taste. 3 Quote
nulldevice Posted March 25 Report Posted March 25 18 hours ago, MassiveMoonHeh said: #24, the Sukeshige Tachi was stolen on July 22, 1972, from the Meiji Jingu Treasure Hall (Shibuya Ward, Tokyo). It bears a chrysanthemum crest and is considered the only known sword bearing the signature of Fukuoka Ichimonji Sukeshige. At the same time, an Ichimonji Yoshifusa (an important art object), Gassan Sadakazu, and Sugawara Kanenori were also displayed in the same case and were stolen. All were works cherished by Emperor Meiji. According to the investigation, the culprit hid in the Emperor's carriage before closing time the previous day, waited for the guards to leave, stole the sword, unlocked the door from the inside, and escaped. Here is a higher res photo of the Ichimonji Sukeshige that was stolen. The description in the Nihonto Taikan pre-dates the theft and since this book was published in 1966, this may have been one of the last times this sword was in the hands of sword specialists who were documenting it. The Explanation for the sword reads as follows: Quote Among the Fukuoka Ichimonji school, there are rare examples where, in the manner of kiku-gosaku, a sixteen-petaled chrysanthemum crest is engraved in kebori below the machi. This tachi is one such example, with a two-character mei inscribed in fine tagane strokes below the chrysanthemum crest. The blade is slender in build, and the nakago takes the archaic kijimata form; however, the hamon is rich in its variation, and within the ha, ko-midare and ashi are abundant, which may be taken as an indication that this blade occupies a position as a precursor to the large-patterned works that would emerge in the succeeding generation. The 1 2 Quote
Ian B3HR2UH Posted March 25 Report Posted March 25 73 Yasuyo This sword is by Shumenokami Ichi no hira Yasuyo not Yasuyori . It was owned by the Miyasaka Shrine in Kagoshima Prefecture who handed it over to the Ibusuki police in December 1945. The blade is dated 1723 and is 33 .5 inches long . There are photographs of the sword and the lengthy inscription on the nakago in the documents from the American Archives that Stephen Thorpe shared with us . Attached to this is a copy of one of those pictures showing the Shirasaya, box and lacquered box that accompanied the sword . Further photos are on page 82 of Satsuma no katana no Tsuba by Fukunaga 1 4 Quote
Wah Posted March 25 Report Posted March 25 Has this Tachi been found? Am I overlooking it in the list above? This is from the Daisojin publication by Yuichi Hiroi, July 1979. I used AI for the translation which is imperfect but it's understandable. 3 Quote
Jussi Ekholm Posted March 26 Report Posted March 26 @Wah Thank you for this information Stephen, I have not heard about these magazines. They seem extremely interesting and it could be a fun project trying to get these magazines from Japan. This thread is wonderful, so much information that is not easily available. On 3/20/2026 at 4:15 PM, MassiveMoonHeh said: 68 Jūyō Bunkazai 1917 Uwazu Tachi Mumei I believe this one would be the tachi you posted above. The 99,1 cm length listed in the Japanese site: https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bunkazai/torimodosou/kunishitei/106.html would actually be the total length of the item and not the blade length as I thought it would be. 2 1 Quote
Wah Posted March 27 Report Posted March 27 On 3/26/2026 at 10:20 AM, Jussi Ekholm said: @Wah Thank you for this information Stephen, I have not heard about these magazines. They seem extremely interesting and it could be a fun project trying to get these magazines from Japan. This thread is wonderful, so much information that is not easily available. I believe this one would be the tachi you posted above. The 99,1 cm length listed in the Japanese site: https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bunkazai/torimodosou/kunishitei/106.html would actually be the total length of the item and not the blade length as I thought it would be. Oh cool, Thank you Jussi. Yes, definately try to get a set of the magazines. They have quite a few photos of the lost swords we have not seen and are under articles by Yuichi Hiroi. The journals that have the lost swords begin with issue number one dated 1978-4 through issue number 16 which is dated 1982-1. The Journals are called: 大素人 All the best! 1 Quote
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