Horii Hideaki Mikasa Tantō Forged from the Gun Steel of Admiral Tōgō’s Flagship

Horii Hideaki Mikasa Tantō  Forged from the Gun Steel of Admiral Tōgō’s Flagship

Tantō Horii Hideaki

Mikasa Gun Steel Commemorative Tantō
Shōwa Period, August 1930
NBTHK Hozon Tōken

This historically important tantō was forged in August 1930 (Shōwa 5) by Horii Hideaki (堀井秀明) using steel taken from the battleship Mikasa, the legendary flagship of Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō during the Russo-Japanese War. Mikasa, built in Great Britain by Vickers, occupies a unique position in Japanese history as the most celebrated warship of the Imperial Japanese Navy and a lasting symbol of Japan’s emergence as a modern naval power.

Horii Hideaki, whose real name was Horii Kanekichi, initially signed his work as Kaneaki before receiving the art name Hideaki in 1913 from the Sword Preservation Society, derived from the name of Suishinshi Masahide. He studied under Horii Taneyoshi and Horii Taketane, later becoming Taneyoshi’s adopted son and successor, and ultimately the third head of the Horii lineage. Hideaki belonged to the generation of highly skilled revivalist smiths who upheld orthodox swordmaking techniques during the transition from the Meiji to the Shōwa period.

Following damage sustained by Mikasa during the Battle of the Yellow Sea in 1904, portions of the ship’s gun steel were preserved. In the late 1920s, the Naval Officers’ Organization Suikōsha authorized a commemorative project to transform this historically significant material into traditionally forged Japanese blades. The forging was entrusted to Horii Hideaki, who at the time was active at the Muroran works in Hokkaidō, where he carefully incorporated a symbolic quantity of Mikasa gun steel into each blade while adhering fully to classical Japanese swordmaking methods.

These Mikasa tantō were produced in strictly limited numbers and distributed through Suikōsha within senior naval circles. Contemporary naval tradition records that Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku personally presented Mikasa tantō to high-ranking officers of the Imperial Japanese Navy, reinforcing their role as symbols of naval distinction, remembrance, and institutional heritage. Two official types were produced, with Type A examples bearing a carved inscription. The present tantō is a Type A example.

The blade is preserved in excellent condition and is accompanied by NBTHK Hozon papers, confirming it as a traditionally made Japanese sword of recognized historical and artistic value.

Shirasaya

The tantō is preserved in shirasaya and housed in its original Suikōsha presentation box, remaining in the state as originally issued. The box inscription and blade signature correspond correctly with documented Mikasa commemorative examples, reinforcing the integrity and authenticity of the set.

Mikasa Historical Context

Mikasa is Japan’s most important surviving warship and the only remaining pre-dreadnought battleship in the world. As Admiral Tōgō’s flagship, she played a decisive role in Japan’s naval victories and became a powerful national symbol. Blades forged using Mikasa steel occupy a unique position in Japanese sword history, standing at the intersection of traditional swordmaking, naval commemoration, and early Shōwa historical consciousness.

Specifications

Blade length 23.0 cm
Curvature (sori) 0 cm
Motohaba (width at hamachi) 2.15 cm
Kasane 5.2 mm
Period Shōwa period, 1930
Province Hokkaidō
Certification NBTHK Hozon Tōken

inscription (mei)

Reading

Mikasa hōkō Hideaki saku

Made by Hideaki using gun steel from the battleship Mikasa

Collector’s Note

Mikasa tantō by Horii Hideaki are highly sought after by collectors of modern Japanese swords and Imperial Japanese naval history. Examples retaining NBTHK certification and original Suikōsha presentation boxes are increasingly scarce. This tantō represents an important and well-documented artifact of Japan’s early 20th-century sword revival and naval heritage, suitable for an advanced private collection or institutional context.