[Designated Cultural Property of Sakata City]
Period: Early Muromachi period (15C)
Gassan refers to a school of swordsmiths who were active from the Kamakura period (1185-1333) to the Muromachi period (1333-1573), based at the foot of Mount Gassan, the highest of the three holy mountains of Dewa Sanzan in Yamagata prefecture. This sword has a distinctive ‘jihada,’ the forging structure, or texture of the folded steel of its blade: a ‘twilled cedar’ pattern (‘ayasugi-hada’) resembling large, regular waves. As this pattern was characteristic of the Gassan school, it was also known as ‘Gassan-hada.’
Inscribed with ‘Gassan saku’ on the front of the blade, this long sword is a typical example of the Gassan school, and is thought to have been forged during the early Muromachi period. It was donated to the museum by Walter Compton, an American sword enthusiast.