Royal Nihonto?

[Misconstrued]

Are there any Nihonto that belonged to or were made for Royalty? Even blades that certainly didn't belong to a noble I find very nice. So I wonder what a blade made for Royalty would look like. Thanks!

 

-Jace R.

[PNSSHOGUN]

Which royalty?

[Misconstrued]

Im fine with clan leaders or any nobles, I don't know much about royalty so I'm not picky.

 

-Jace R.

[PNSSHOGUN]

Jace there are royal families all over the world, the quality of an answer can always be helped by the quality of the question . Japanese swords have been made for, collected and presented to the Japanese Imperial family for nearly a millennia, so it is best to figure out what period most interests you and key figures at the time (Emperor, Shogun, Daimyo etc).

 

 

[paulb]

Probably not what you are looking for but if you search Royal collection or Royal collection trust in the UK there is currently an exhibition at Buckingham Palace of treasures presented as gifts to members of the British Royal family by The Japanese Imperial family. Alongside the other beautiful pieces there are some excellent armours and several beautiful swords.

[Paz]

As John said. Yes. 

 

Throughout Japanese history. As Japan lacked land swords were given as gifts. 

 

But to the royal family I'm presuming the Japanese royal family 😆. Throughout the ages shogun and noble would gift the noble family because swords were also a religious symbol. 

 

And yes I have visited the Buckingham Palace royal collection and a rai kunimitsu I beleive was gifted to the British.  Which also means no not always or probably ever were swords made to a foreign royal family. When they have an inventory of ancient blades which surpass whatever a new smith would make. 

. Here il even give you a photo  

[Shugyosha]

The Royal Armouries at Leeds, UK has armours given to James I as diplomatic gifts:

 

https://collections.royalarmouries.org/object/rac-object-30423.html

[Bazza]

I'm sure I remember a gold-mounted tachi being offered for sale as belonging to the Duke of Windsor/Edward VIII.  This was many years ago.  It was apparently a gift to the Duke on a visit to Japan???  I don't remember the blade.

 

BaZZa.

[paulb]

If it was a royal gift I don't think it could be sold. There is one in the exhibition presented to  Victoria's son when he was Duke of York 

[Okan]

If I understood correctly, you are looking to see some swords made for or used by Japanese shogunate. Well here are some: 

 

The first one, Monoyoshi, made by Sadamune, used by Tokugawa Ieyasu. The rumour was when Tokugawa went into battle with this Wakizashi, he would always win. Passed down to his ninth son, Yoshinao, Lord of Owari. 

 

 

Second one,  a tachi attributed to Aoe Sadaji. It was originally 75cm but it was shortened to 60.3cm. It was named "Nikkari", comes from the legend that after it slashed a ghost who was smiling, turned out next morning a stone pagoda had been cut into two. Dedicated to Hideyoshi by Nagahide. And Hideyoshi 's son Hideyori presented it to Takatsugu.

 

 

Third one, the one and only long blade made by Awataguchi Yoshimitsu, master of tanto..They called this blade Ichigo Hitofuri(the one and only lifetime sword). It was owned by Ashikaga family during the Sengoku period. Later on it was dedicated to Hideyoshi and as he was short, he had the sword shortened to 69cm(it was originally 86cm) It was burned in the great fire of Meiriki but Tokugawa family had Echizen Yasutsugu recover it. Later on, Tokugawa Mochinaga presented it to Emperor Komei. Has been passed on as an imperial property since then. 

 

 

Fourth one, Tokugawa Ieyasu's favorite sword, made by Sukezane of Bizen. Originally belonged to Kato Kiyomasa, presented it as his congratulations on his daughter's marriage to the tokugawa. 

 

 

 

 

And the last but not least, Dojigiri Yasutsuna, belonged to Minamoto no Yorimoto. Built at the end of the Heian period, had been inherited in the Ashikaga Shogun..passed on to Oda Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu. It wasn't used in any battle, but the cutting quality had been proven by cutting six corpses in the Edo period.

 

 

 

[Jean]

Except for some special events when smiths forge swords dedicated, the custom was to offer old swords made by master smiths.

[Okan]

11 minutes ago, Jean said:

Except for some special events when smiths forge swords dedicated, the custom was to offer old swords made by master smiths.

 

You'll find great examples on this in a pretty much unknown memoir book called "In the Shelter of the Pine". She took a pretty good and detailed notes on the swords they received as a gift and gifted to others..Written Ogimachi Machiko, second concubine of Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu(Chief adjutant to Tokugawa Tsunayoshi) 

 

excerpt from the book: 

 

"The gifts, as befitted the special nature of the occasion, included long swords and many other such items of exceptional quality. For the father of the young lord, there was a famous sword known as “Norishige.” For his eldest son, there was a long sword by the name of “Sadamune,” a bay horse with black points and fitted with a saddle, and much else besides. My Lord’s fourth son received a long sword known as “Kiku,” his fifth son “Sukezane,” His Lordship the Right City Commissioner “Mitsutada,” and the Governor of Buzen “Kanemitsu.” For the women of the house and the young ladies, there were silk twill and a variety of furnishings, all of them eye-catchingly beautiful, but I shan’t list them. Among the gifts pre- sented to His Highness, the most noteworthy were the long swords. From the young lord, there was a genuine blade forged by Nobukuni. It was accompanied by the sword “Yukimitsu,” a horse fitted with a saddle and other equipment, robes, and suchlike. His father presented the sword “Kunitoshi,” a genuine blade, as well as a horse and such. His fourth and fifth sons presented him with a long sword said to have been forged by someone called Aoe Sadatsugu, and one known, I think, as “Shirikake.” My Lord’s two sons-in-law presented tsurugi, one called “Ryōkai” and the other “Naotsuna.” The men thought very highly of all of these."

 

 

[Bruce Pennington]

Here's one gone the other way around - An "Imperial Gift" to an officer!  On Ohmura's site - Type 94 Royal Gift "Yasuhiro".  He doesn't say who it's gifted to, but it has a Company Grade tassel, so it's probably an officer.

 

 

[Geraint]

Like Bazza I have a memory of seeing a tachi reputed to have belonged to the Duke of Windsor, the only reference I have found so far is here, https://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/01/arts/antiques-swords-with-the-spirit-of-the-samurai.html

 

The Duke certainly visited Japan in the 1920s.  Of course, stupid me, the sword was offered as Lot 305 in Haynes original sale.

 

All the best.

 

[AntiquarianCat]

It depends how “Royal” is defined, I sadly lost the article but one of Darcy’s noted how most gifts between Daimyo or to the Shogun were old treasure swords.

 

Hizen-to were an exception though and the Nabeshima would gift their best to other Daimyo, even the Tokugawa. Don’t have the Darcy story right now but this mentions that as well https://nihontoantiques.com/project/hizen-masatsugu-daito-fss-882/

 

Not sure if that counts as royals but Jesuit and other old European records refer to Daimyo as “princes” or their lands as duchies so by European reckoning they do.

[Toryu2020]

Fukunaga Suiken Sensei has a two-volume book detailing the collections of the Imperial Household and the major daimyo families - many of the most famous swords that we are all familiar with are listed there. As noted most are older blades by well-known artists, very few "royal" commissions...

 

-tch

[Misconstrued]

Thank you everyone for responding and taking the time out of your day to post a reply! I appreciate you showing me photos and sending me links to articles!

 

-Jace R.

[Jean]

Just to add, often the shogun or Daimyo who had not treasure swords to offer, had a stock of o suriage mumei swords and offer them with a certificate of famous appraisers stating that the sword was forged by grand Grand Master so and so. Nobody was fooled and the blade could be reoffered a few years later and so on… Everybody was keeping face.

[Jim Manley]

Not exactly a "Royal" but here is a Wakizashi made by Akamatsu Masanori during the Onin war siege of Fuoka Castle.  Masanori was assisted by Osafune Munemitsu & Katsumitsu.  He made few blades and all of them were political gifts. This blade is presently in Japan awaiting NBTHK shinsa. Masanori was known to have made only 14 blades, this one, No. 15 surfaced in the US a few decades ago.  

[waljamada]

Have a blade where the sayagaki said it was made as a gift to a daimyo for whatever that is worth =|:^)

[Bugyotsuji]

Can you show us the sayagaki Adam?

 

[IBot]

The Royal Armouries has indeed two armours given to King James I (and VI) as well as one given Philip II of Spain in 1585. Interestingly, one of the former still retains a kamon in lacquer of the Takeda family ( it is too small to have been worn by Shingen so it probably belonged to Katsuyori) and the latter has the kamon of the Shimazu of Satsuma - a clear indication that they were captured booty and not specifically made for presentation. The remaining armour was assembled for the gift as it is very composite, being made up from different armours but lacquered and laced to match. Because the armourer making up the set did not know the heraldry of the recipient - i.e. a foreign monarch, he has applied dragons in gold lacquer on the places where kamon would normally be lacquered. The Armouries also has one of two magnificent naginata and about 10 (?) yari with raden covered shafts that formed part of a set sent as a gift to Queen Victoria. Interestingly most of the yari are 12 foot long, but four in the set are only 10 foot, no doubt those were carried next to the norimono. They all had big sausage shaped saya in gold lacquer but the Royal Armouries only has 2 of them. No doubt the rest, and the saya for the naginata are in Windsor Castle or some other palace. Other item included in the gift are in the Victoria and Albert Museum including a magnificent o-yoroi. I always like to imagine a lackey announcing to the Queen ' There is a shipment of Japanese arms and armour arrived at the back door your Majesty'. No doubt the replay was 'We are not amused'.

Ian Bottomley