Heian-jū Unzenshi Sadahide Katana 平安住雲仙子貞秀 刀
Item TK024
Period: Late Edo Period
Mei (Signature): 平安住雲仙子貞秀作 Heian-jū Unzenshi Sadahide saku
文久三年八月日 August 1863Designation: Hozon
Nakago - 27cm - Suriage
Nagasa - 75.2cm
Sori: - 0.6cm
Motohaba - 3.2cm
Sakihaba - 2.45cm
Kissaki - 5cm
Motokasane - 0.9cm
SOLD
Bakamatsu Period Kinnoto - Royalist Sword
This exceptional katana is accompanied by NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers confirming it as the work of Unzenshi Sadahide, a Dewa-born smith whose real name was Sugimoto Hironosuke. A student of the famed Gassan Sadayoshi, Sadahide was active in Settsu (Osaka) and Yamashiro (Kyoto) during the late Edo period.
The blade measures 75.2 cm in nagasa with a gentle 0.6 cm sori, a motohaba of 3.2 cm tapering to a sakihaba of 2.45 cm, a motokasane of 0.9 cm, and an unusually long 27 cm nakago. Its straight silhouette and extended tang strongly suggest that this sword began life as a Kinno-tō—a “royalist sword.”
During the turbulent Bakumatsu era, Kinno-tō were carried by Imperial loyalists who supported the Sonnō Jōi (“Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians”) movement. These swords were typically made with long, powerful proportions to suit warriors prepared for real combat in the political upheavals leading to the Meiji Restoration.
In hand, the katana feels every bit the formidable weapon its history implies. It is long, wide, very thick, and impressively heavy, with generous niku that gives a sense of unstoppable force—more like wielding a finely forged battle-axe than a delicate art sword. Despite its massive build and martial purpose, the blade remains in flawless condition, completely free of kizu or forging issues, and represents a rare chance to own an authentic late-Edo royalist sword of exceptional quality and preservation.