Tanto sword, signed Yoshimitsu

This tanto, or dagger, has been handed down in the Tachibana family with a tradition: the shogun of that time, Ashikaga Takauji, bestowed this tanto sword on an ancestor of the Tachibana family as a reward for military exploits in 1336.

The creator of this sword, Yoshimitsu, commonly known as ‘Toshiro,’ was a swordsmith in the Yamashiro Province, present-day Kyoto. He was especially known as an expert in making tanto swords. Among his swords, this tanto is characterized by the wide blade and the tip of the blade which is slightly curved inward. Over 700 years have passed and the sword remains its refined entire form, blade pattern and steel surface as if it were made yesterday. This amazing sword was designated as a National Treasure in 1953.