Mumei Attributed to Uda Kunimune
無名　宇多国宗　刀
Item TK049

  • Period：Koto - Nanbokucho Era (14th Century)

  • Designation: Hozon

  • Mei (Signature): Mumei

  • Nakago - 17.8cm

  • Nagasa - 69.8cm

  • Sori - 3cm

  • Motohaba - 2.6cm

  • Sakihaba - 1.6cm

  • Kissaki - 2.7cm

  • Motokasane: 0.63cm

Price: ¥ 850,000

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The Uda School

This katana has been attributed to Uda Kunimune (宇多国宗), one of the principal smiths of the distinguished Uda School of Etchū Province.

The Uda School traces its origins to the late Kamakura period, when its founder, Kunimitsu (国光), is believed to have migrated from Uda District in Yamato Province (present-day Nara Prefecture) to Etchū Province (modern Toyama Prefecture). Bringing with him the traditions of Yamato-den swordsmithing, Kunimitsu established what would become one of the most important schools in the Hokuriku region. His disciples and successors, including Kunimune, played a vital role in developing the school's reputation throughout the Nanbokuchō and Muromachi periods.

Unlike many contemporary traditions that strongly reflected a single provincial style, the Uda School developed a distinctive identity by combining the disciplined workmanship of Yamato-den with regional influences from Etchū Province. The result was a school renowned for producing practical, durable swords that nevertheless possessed refined and elegant workmanship. Their blades were highly regarded by the warrior class during an era of continual military conflict, earning the Uda School a reputation as the foremost swordsmithing tradition of the Hokuriku region.

This katana immediately impresses with its graceful tachi sugata, retaining a strong koshi-zori. Its elegant curvature and refined proportions are highly characteristic of the Late Kamakura period, reflecting the classical beauty of early Japanese swords.

As expected of a blade attributed to Uda Kunimune, the workmanship displays the distinctive Yamato-influenced characteristics of the Uda School. The jihada is forged in a refined itame mixed with mokume.
Overall, this is an excellent representative work of early Uda workmanship, combining an elegant tachi form with the refined forging and understated beauty that have made the Uda School one of the most respected medieval traditions of Etchū Province.

Accompanying the blade is an elegant itomaki no tachi koshirae featuring a beautifully executed nashiji (crushed shell lacquer) saya, tastefully decorated with the Imperial Chrysanthemum (Kikumon) and Kiri-mon crests, further enhancing the blade's distinguished presentation.