Blade for a Long Sword ("Tachi"), Named “Crescent-Moon Munechika”

This tachi long sword has a strong curvature and slim shape. Another striking feature is the intricate complexity of the tempering pattern that sits gleaming between the black ground metal and the white blade edge. A glance above the temper pattern reveals a shiny crescent-moon-shaped pattern. The Japanese word for crescent moon is “mikazuki,” which explains why the sword is named “Mikazuki Munechika.” Munechika was a swordsmith said to have lived in Kyoto's Sanjo district during the late Heian period. Hardly any of his swords are still with us today. This sword was once owned by the wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a 16th century warlord who unified Japan. It was later bequeathed to the second Tokugawa shogun, Tokugawa Hidetada, and it was subsequently passed down through the Tokugawa family.

— Museum description: Tokyo National Museum (CC BY 4.0), via ColBase / Japan Search.