Blade for a Long Sword ("Tachi")

太刀

At a glance — Swords & Armour · Kamakura period, 13th century · held by Tokyo National Museum · designated Important Cultural Property of Japan.

Fact Sheet

Designation: Important Cultural Property (重要文化財)
Category: Swords & Armour
Period: Kamakura period, 13th century
Date: 1201–1300
Held by: Tokyo National Museum
Location: Ueno, Tokyo
Catalogue ID: cobas-77852

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Japanese swords were initially made with straight blades, but in the late 1100s, they began to take on the curved, single-edged shape familiar today. This is one of the earliest surviving examples of a curved Japanese sword. It was crafted by Sadatsugu, a leading figure of the Aoe school, a prominent group of swordsmiths based in western Japan.

— Museum description: Tokyo National Museum (CC BY 4.0), via ColBase / Japan Search.

Record & Sources

Designation: Important Cultural Property (重要文化財), Government of Japan
Catalogue ID: cobas-77852 (permanent)
Official record: Japan Search — jpsearch.go.jp/item/cobas-77852
Holder's collection: ColBase — Tokyo National Museum
Photograph: Tokyo National Museum, via ColBase — CC BY 4.0. CC BY 4.0 licence

Cite this page: “Blade for a Long Sword ("Tachi")（太刀）.” Treasures of Japan, catalogue no. cobas-77852. Tokyo National Museum. https://treasures.yamato-kenkou.com/treasures/blade-for-a-long-sword-tachi-77852/ — entry last verified 1 November 2026.

Full record data (as published in the official catalogue record)

Category: Applied arts:Arms and armor:Blades:Tachi
Genre: Arms & Armor
Cultural property designation: Important Cultural Property
員数: 1口
分類: 刀剣
種別: 工芸:武器・武具:刀剣:太刀
銘文等: 銘貞次

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