A Most Outstanding & Huge Shogunate Antique Bunkyu Period 幕藩体制 Samurai's Tachi, Horseman's Sword, In Superb Condition. Signed 伯耆国住吉. A 'Statement' Collector's Piece, Par Excellance

This sword has immense presence and stature, a magnificent centrepiece for any stylish decor. Shinshinto bladed tachi {slung mounted sword} from the late Edo bakuhan taisei 幕藩体制 period, signed Hoki no Kuni ju Yoshiyuki and dated 1857, tsuka with iron fuchi-kashira decorated with figures , mokko shaped iron tsuba chiselled with a dragonfly, in its rich brown ishime stone finish lacquer tachi mounted saya, beautifully bound with contrasting sageo of stunning gold and black. the tuska is black silk bound over samegawa {giant rayskin} with a pair of menuki {beneath the silk binding} of war arrows with samurai armour.

Signed "Hoki no Kuni ju Yoshiyuki. swordsmith named Yoshiyuki (吉幸), worked in Hōki Province (伯耆国), modern-day Tottori Prefecture, during the late Edo period (around the 1860s). He signed his work with variations like "Hoki no Kuni ju Yoshiyuki," was known as Shimizu Tōshirō, and produced blades exhibiting detailed jihada (grain) and hamon (temper lines) with ko-nie (small bright particles).
Yoshiyuki (real name Shimizu Tōshirō).
Hōki Province (now Tottori, Japan).
Period: Late Edo (Bunkyū era, 1861-1864) through the Meiji Restoration.
Signature: "Hoki no Kuni ju Yoshiyuki" (伯耆国住吉幸).
Often features itame (wood grain) mixed with mokume ( burl grain), ji-nie, chikei, and utsuri, with a hamon of midare (irregular) with ko-notare (small drops) and ko-gunome (small arcs).
Yoshiyuki was a recognized smith from Hōki Province, noted for his work in the late Shintō period, even creating swords during the ban on wearing swords in 1876.
Blades from him often considered significant examples from that era, showcasing traditional craftsmanship even as Japan modernized.

The tachi style of swords preceded the development of the katana the first use of the word katana to indicate a blade different from tachi appears toward the end of the twelfth century. In later Japanese feudal history, during the Sengoku and Edo periods, certain high-ranking warriors of what became the ruling class would wear their sword tachi-style (edge-downward), rather than with the saya (scabbard) thrust through the belt with the edge upward. The bakuhan taisei was the feudal political system in the Edo period of Japan. Baku, or "tent," is an abbreviation of bakufu, meaning "military government" that is, the shogunate. The han were the domains headed by daimyo. The number of han (roughly 250) fluctuated throughout the Edo period. They were ranked by size, which was measured as the number of koku that the domain produced each year. One koku was the amount of rice necessary to feed one adult male for one year. The minimum number for a daimyo was ten thousand koku; the largest, apart from the shogun, was a million.

Samurai horsemen began as aristocratic mounted archers in Japan's Heian period (794-1185), serving nobles, evolving into powerful warriors controlling the state by the Kamakura era (1185-1333) with the rise of the Shogunate, mastering bows, swords, and later polearms, forming the iconic image of armoured, skilled riders who defended Japan and defined its military culture for centuries before their eventual abolition in the 19th century.
Origins and Early Development (Heian Period, 794-1185)
Early Protectors: The term "samurai" (meaning "one who serves") emerged as provincial warriors, often landowners, serving aristocratic families as guards.
Mounted Archery: Their initial primary skill was horseback archery, using asymmetrical bows, with horses and armour often signifying wealth.
Decentralized Power: Central government weakness led to reliance on these regional warrior clans (Uji), shifting power from the court to local strongmen.
Rise to Power (Kamakura Period, 1185-1333)
Feudal System: Clan rivalries culminated in the Genpei War, leading to the rise of the first Shogunate (military government) and establishing the samurai as Japan's dominant political and military force.
Bushido: The samurai code of honour, Bushido, became firmly established during this time.
Mongol Invasions (1270s): Samurai horsemen, skilled in archery and swordsmanship, successfully defended Japan against Mongol invasions.
Evolution of Tactics (14th - 16th Centuries)
Swords & Polearms: While archery remained important, swordsmanship (especially with the katana) grew, and later, the introduction of lance-armed cavalry charges became a feared tactic, notably by the Takeda clan.
Infantry Integration: By the late 16th century, powerful samurai leaders like Oda Nobunaga began integrating firearms and massed infantry, leading to significant tactical shifts, as seen at the Battle of Nagashino (1275).
Decline & Legacy (Late Edo Period to Meiji Restoration)
Abolition: The samurai class was officially abolished during the Meiji Restoration in the late 1870s, ending their military and social dominance but solidifying their legendary status in Japanese history and culture. However the presentation of samurai swords did not stop {after the samurai class were removed from power} as their status, was, for ever more indelibly linked entirely to both the history and the future of Japan, for without the sword there would have been no legendary samurai, and without the samurai there would have been no Japan.

Code: 26006