Important Cultural PropertyStraight sword with no sign (a.k.a. Suiryū-ken), satin-finished mountings with the pattern of suiryū

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  • Metal fittings created by Natsuo Kano
  • 1 piece
  • (Blade) Blade length: 62.3 Inner curvature (Exterior) Total length: 80.2
  • (Blade) Nara period, 8th century (Exterior) 6th year of the Meiji period (1873)
  • Tokyo National Museum
  • F-262

 There are few chokuto (straight) swords forged in the Nara period except those in the Shosoin treasures. This chokuto is in the kiriha style (a sword made with the ridge line close to the cutting edge) and has a thick blade with uchizori (the back of the blade slightly curves toward the cutting edge). The ground metal has a close wood grain pattern with some nagarehada (the steel skin that flows along the blade like a flowing stream). The hamon (blade pattern) is hososuguha (a thin straight pattern) that ends at machiue. There is a big hole at nakagosaki (the tip of the tang). It was handed down to the Shosoin as Emperor Shomu's sword. It was sent to Emperor Meiji in 1872. In 1873, koshirae (outer fittings of the sword) with a suiryu (water and dragon) pattern was created by Natsuo Kano. Since then, it has been called "Suiryuken."

Pieces

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