{
  "schemaVersion": 1,
  "canonicalUrl": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/objects/sadanori-wakizashi/",
  "recordUrl": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/objects/sadanori-wakizashi/record.json",
  "accession": "NA 2026.001",
  "title": "Sadanori Wakizashi",
  "japaneseTitle": "鈴木加賀守貞則",
  "classification": {
    "category": "nihonto",
    "form": "wakizashi",
    "presentation": [
      "koshirae"
    ]
  },
  "period": "Edo · Kanbun 13 (1673)",
  "summary": "A signed Kanbun-shintō wakizashi dated to the eighth month of 1673, with NBTHK Hozon certification and a coordinated koshirae of dragon-and-wave fittings, peony-decorated maru-gata tsuba, inome-pierced habaki, and black lacquer densely flecked with iridescent aogai shell.",
  "attribution": {
    "label": "Suzuki Kaga-no-kami Sadanori",
    "japanese": "鈴木加賀守貞則",
    "qualifier": "Signed and dated; NBTHK Hozon Tōken"
  },
  "highlights": [
    {
      "label": "Nagasa",
      "value": "39.9 cm"
    },
    {
      "label": "Sori",
      "value": "0.8 cm"
    },
    {
      "label": "NBTHK paper",
      "value": "Hozon Tōken · 1996"
    }
  ],
  "revisedOn": "2026-07-23",
  "revisions": [
    {
      "date": "2026-07-22",
      "note": "Public catalogue record established."
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-07-23",
      "note": "Corrected the tōrokushō mekugi-ana translation and added the appraisal paper to the public photographic record."
    }
  ],
  "hero": {
    "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-001/03.jpg",
    "alt": "Sadanori wakizashi mounted and drawn beside its black lacquered saya"
  },
  "sections": [
    {
      "title": "Catalogue record",
      "facts": [
        {
          "label": "Item",
          "value": "Wakizashi (脇指), full koshirae; signed kogatana"
        },
        {
          "label": "Smith",
          "value": "Suzuki Kaga-no-kami Sadanori\n鈴木加賀守貞則"
        },
        {
          "label": "Date",
          "value": "Kanbun 13 (1673), 8th month\n寛文十三季八月"
        },
        {
          "label": "Blade",
          "value": "Nagasa 39.9 cm (一尺三寸一分) · sori 0.8 cm"
        },
        {
          "label": "Overall",
          "value": "61.0 cm · blade 458 g · mounted total 913 g"
        },
        {
          "label": "Material",
          "value": "Tamahagane · Edo period, Kanbun"
        },
        {
          "label": "Mekugi-ana",
          "value": "二（中一埋）— two holes, one plugged"
        }
      ],
      "notes": [
        {
          "lead": "Signature characteristic.",
          "body": "The smith cut 季 where convention normally uses 年. The same form appears on the mei and on both certificates. It is therefore retained here as an identifying feature, not regularized as a transcription error. The eighth month of Kanbun 13 falls within weeks of the Kanbun–Enpō era change."
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "title": "Certification",
      "facts": [
        {
          "label": "NBTHK",
          "value": "Hozon Tōken No. 343478 · issued 26 July 1996 (Heisei 8)"
        },
        {
          "label": "Authority",
          "value": "日本美術刀剣保存協会 · Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords"
        },
        {
          "label": "Finding",
          "value": "Hozon paper; the signed mei is recorded as shoshin / genuine"
        }
      ],
      "notes": []
    }
  ],
  "plates": [
    {
      "number": "I.1",
      "group": "I",
      "groupTitle": "Documents",
      "title": "NBTHK Hozon Tōken origami, No. 343478.",
      "japanese": "鑑定書",
      "caption": "Issued on the twenty-sixth day of the seventh month of Heisei 8—26 July 1996—by the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords (日本美術刀剣保存協会; NBTHK). The attached photographic record reproduces the nakago omote and ura. The text records a wakizashi signed ‘Suzuki Kaga no Kami Sadanori’ (鈴木加賀守貞則), dated ‘Kanbun 13, eighth month’ (寛文十三季八月; the smith uses 季 in place of the conventional 年), with a nagasa of one shaku, three sun, and one bu (一尺三寸一分).",
      "alt": "NBTHK Hozon Token certificate number 343478",
      "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-001/02.jpg",
      "redacted": false
    },
    {
      "number": "I.3",
      "group": "I",
      "groupTitle": "Documents",
      "title": "Nakago · omote and ura.",
      "japanese": "茎・銘",
      "caption": "Omote: ‘Suzuki Kaga no Kami Sadanori’ (鈴木加賀守貞則). Ura: ‘Kanbun 13, eighth month’ (寛文十三季八月; 季 appears where 年 would ordinarily be expected). The active lower mekugi-ana and the filled central mekugi-ana are visible on both faces.",
      "alt": "Nakago close-up with maker signature on omote and date on ura",
      "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-001/16.jpg",
      "redacted": false
    },
    {
      "number": "II.1",
      "group": "II",
      "groupTitle": "Blade",
      "title": "Full sugata · omote and ura.",
      "japanese": "姿・表裏",
      "caption": "Nagasa 39.9 cm; light 0.8 cm sori, consistent with Kanbun-shintō proportions. The maker-signed omote and dated ura remain visible below the machi and anchor the face assignment.",
      "alt": "Full blade shown from omote and ura",
      "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-001/17.jpg",
      "redacted": false
    },
    {
      "number": "II.2",
      "group": "II",
      "groupTitle": "Blade",
      "title": "Monouchi through kissaki · ura.",
      "japanese": "物打・帽子・裏",
      "caption": "Oblique lighting reveals the hamon as it approaches the yokote and turns through the bōshi.",
      "alt": "Monouchi and kissaki close-up, ura",
      "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-001/18.jpg",
      "redacted": false
    },
    {
      "number": "II.3",
      "group": "II",
      "groupTitle": "Blade",
      "title": "Kissaki and bōshi · omote.",
      "japanese": "切先・帽子",
      "caption": "Close detail of the yokote, ko-shinogi, and bōshi kaeri—the hardened pattern’s return toward the mune.",
      "alt": "Kissaki and bōshi close-up, omote",
      "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-001/04.jpg",
      "redacted": false
    },
    {
      "number": "II.4",
      "group": "II",
      "groupTitle": "Blade",
      "title": "Kissaki and bōshi · ura.",
      "japanese": "切先・裏",
      "caption": "The ura lighting angle preserves the shinogi, yokote, polish condition, and the hamon’s approach to the point.",
      "alt": "Kissaki and bōshi close-up, ura",
      "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-001/08.jpg",
      "redacted": false
    },
    {
      "number": "II.5",
      "group": "II",
      "groupTitle": "Blade",
      "title": "Blade and saya · ura composite.",
      "japanese": "刀身・鞘・裏",
      "caption": "The ura kissaki and saya end appear above; the habaki, tsuba, lower ura, saya, and sageo appear below.",
      "alt": "Composite views of ura blade tip and lower blade with saya",
      "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-001/10.jpg",
      "redacted": false
    },
    {
      "number": "II.6",
      "group": "II",
      "groupTitle": "Blade",
      "title": "Blade and habaki detail · omote.",
      "japanese": "鎺元・刃文・表",
      "caption": "The lower omote is shown with the black-lacquer saya densely flecked with iridescent aogai shell, sageo, and tsuba-habaki assembly.",
      "alt": "Omote blade, habaki, tsuba, saya, and sageo detail",
      "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-001/06.jpg",
      "redacted": false
    },
    {
      "number": "III.1",
      "group": "III",
      "groupTitle": "Koshirae & fittings",
      "title": "Full disassembly layout.",
      "japanese": "拵・刀装具",
      "caption": "Blade and nakago; tsuka; maru-gata tsuba; paired wing-shaped seppa; silver-colored inome-pierced habaki; mekugi; signed kogatana; sageo; and black-lacquer saya densely flecked with iridescent aogai shell.",
      "alt": "Full disassembly layout of wakizashi and fittings",
      "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-001/14.jpg",
      "redacted": false
    },
    {
      "number": "III.2",
      "group": "III",
      "groupTitle": "Koshirae & fittings",
      "title": "Maru-gata tsuba with dragons, peonies, and waves.",
      "japanese": "鐔",
      "caption": "A maru-gata iron tsuba carries paired dragons winding through waves around peony blossoms, with selective gold-colored highlights. A dark fukurin, matching the tsuba ground but catching more light from its smoother polish, encloses the mimi; one kozuka hitsu-ana and broad copper-colored sekigane at the nakago-ana document its mounting history.",
      "alt": "Dragon in waves tsuba with gold highlights",
      "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-001/22.jpg",
      "redacted": false
    },
    {
      "number": "III.3",
      "group": "III",
      "groupTitle": "Koshirae & fittings",
      "title": "Fuchi · dragon, waves, and scattered attributes.",
      "japanese": "縁・表裏",
      "caption": "Two views of the fuchi preserve a dragon moving through deeply modelled waves, with selective gold and silver-colored details and smaller auspicious attributes distributed around the field. The workmanship and palette coordinate it with the kashira and tsuba without proving a single maker.",
      "alt": "Fuchi with dragon and waves shown from two sides",
      "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-001/21.jpg",
      "redacted": false
    },
    {
      "number": "III.4",
      "group": "III",
      "groupTitle": "Koshirae & fittings",
      "title": "Kashira · dragon, waves, and tama.",
      "japanese": "頭・細部",
      "caption": "A gold-highlighted dragon emerges among layered waves and spray beneath a small sacred jewel or tama. Copper- and silver-colored accents articulate the wave crests and border against the dark ground.",
      "alt": "Kashira close-up with dragon and waves",
      "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-001/19.jpg",
      "redacted": false
    },
    {
      "number": "III.5",
      "group": "III",
      "groupTitle": "Koshirae & fittings",
      "title": "Tsuka with worn crossed wrap.",
      "japanese": "柄",
      "caption": "Heavily worn pale tsukaito crosses simply over white samegawa, remaining broad and flat rather than twisted at each crossover. Mixed-metal menuki are partly exposed through the hishi, while the active mekugi-ana and coordinated dragon-and-wave fuchi-kashira remain visible at either end.",
      "alt": "Tsuka with samegawa, menuki, and mekugi hole",
      "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-001/20.jpg",
      "redacted": false
    },
    {
      "number": "III.6",
      "group": "III",
      "groupTitle": "Koshirae & fittings",
      "title": "Habaki and wing seppa · omote.",
      "japanese": "鎺・表",
      "caption": "Silver collar pierced with an inome / heart form, framed by the ribbed gold-toned seppa and dragon tsuba.",
      "alt": "Habaki and wing seppa, omote",
      "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-001/05.jpg",
      "redacted": false
    },
    {
      "number": "III.7",
      "group": "III",
      "groupTitle": "Koshirae & fittings",
      "title": "Habaki and wing seppa · ura.",
      "japanese": "鎺・裏",
      "caption": "The mirrored wing profile and pierced inome form are shown against the black-lacquer saya’s dense aogai shell flecking.",
      "alt": "Habaki and wing seppa, ura",
      "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-001/09.jpg",
      "redacted": false
    },
    {
      "number": "III.8",
      "group": "III",
      "groupTitle": "Koshirae & fittings",
      "title": "Kogatana, horse-inlaid kozuka, and saya details.",
      "japanese": "小刀・鞘",
      "caption": "The kogatana blade bears an incised mei, enlarged in the upper-center panel but not securely transcribed here. Its dark kozuka carries a gold-colored horse (uma) and an inlaid kanji inscription that remains untranslated. The lower panels show irregular iridescent aogai (青貝) shell flecks set densely across the black-lacquer saya; the separate kojiri is decorated with gold- and silver-colored floral scroll inlay on a dark ground whose material is not assigned from the photograph.",
      "alt": "Signed kogatana blade, horse-inlaid kozuka, and aogai-flecked saya with floral kojiri",
      "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-001/23.jpg",
      "redacted": false
    },
    {
      "number": "IV.1",
      "group": "IV",
      "groupTitle": "Mounted & drawn",
      "title": "Mounted and drawn.",
      "japanese": "拵入・抜身",
      "caption": "Three-quarter presentation with the blade crossing its aogai shell-flecked black-lacquer saya and brown sageo.",
      "alt": "Mounted and drawn presentation view",
      "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-001/03.jpg",
      "redacted": false
    },
    {
      "number": "IV.2",
      "group": "IV",
      "groupTitle": "Mounted & drawn",
      "title": "Mounted and drawn with kozuka.",
      "japanese": "小柄口",
      "caption": "Full blade, aogai shell-flecked black-lacquer saya, sageo, and tsuka, with the dark kozuka seated in its pocket beside the koiguchi. The kozuka carries the gold-colored horse and untranslated inlaid inscription; it forms the handle for the signed kogatana blade.",
      "alt": "Mounted and drawn view with exposed kozuka",
      "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-001/07.jpg",
      "redacted": false
    },
    {
      "number": "IV.3",
      "group": "IV",
      "groupTitle": "Mounted & drawn",
      "title": "Partly unsheathed.",
      "japanese": "抜身・斜景",
      "caption": "The broad polished edge, light sori, full koshirae, and aogai shell-flecked black-lacquer saya are shown in a single diagonal study.",
      "alt": "Wakizashi partly unsheathed in diagonal view",
      "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-001/11.jpg",
      "redacted": false
    },
    {
      "number": "IV.4",
      "group": "IV",
      "groupTitle": "Mounted & drawn",
      "title": "Alternate presentation.",
      "japanese": "抜身・全景",
      "caption": "Full aogai shell-flecked black-lacquer saya, sageo, blade, tsuka, and fittings; the blade’s light curvature remains legible against the straight saya.",
      "alt": "Mounted and drawn alternate presentation",
      "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-001/12.jpg",
      "redacted": false
    },
    {
      "number": "IV.5",
      "group": "IV",
      "groupTitle": "Mounted & storage",
      "title": "Fully sheathed · omote and ura.",
      "japanese": "納刀・表裏",
      "caption": "Black-lacquer saya densely flecked with irregular iridescent aogai (青貝) shell, with sageo; the kurikata, kaeri-tsuno, kozuka pocket, tsuka, and fittings are recorded in profile. The shell decoration belongs to the broader raden (螺鈿) family.",
      "alt": "Fully sheathed wakizashi shown from omote and ura",
      "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-001/13.jpg",
      "redacted": false
    },
    {
      "number": "IV.6",
      "group": "IV",
      "groupTitle": "Mounted & provenance",
      "title": "Presentation with provenance.",
      "japanese": "鑑定書共",
      "caption": "Mounted sword and saya arranged over the open NBTHK Hozon origami, No. 343478.",
      "alt": "Presentation view with NBTHK paper",
      "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-001/01.jpg",
      "redacted": false
    },
    {
      "number": "IV.7",
      "group": "IV",
      "groupTitle": "Mounted & storage",
      "title": "Gold-flecked silk storage bag.",
      "japanese": "刀袋",
      "caption": "Fully mounted wakizashi laid over the bag; purple sageo-style cord and paired tassels shown alongside.",
      "alt": "Wakizashi on gold-flecked silk storage bag with purple tassels",
      "image": "https://zufu.whiskey.works/media/na-2026-001/24.jpg",
      "redacted": false
    }
  ],
  "rights": {
    "catalogue": "© 2026 whiskey.works",
    "photographs": "Courtesy of Katana-Boutique, used with permission. No downstream reproduction permission is granted."
  }
}