The Nagoya Touken Museum "Nagoya Touken World" (名古屋刀剣博物館「名古屋刀剣ワールド」) in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, will hold a special viewing of its Nihon-go Replica (日本号 写し) on Tuesday, November 17, 2026. Participants can hold the museum's spear in their own hands and view it in natural light, in a setting different from the exhibition room.
The Nihon-go Replica is an ōmi-yari (大身槍, large spear) with the inscription 長谷堂住恒平作 令和六年五月五日 宗寿之.
The event welcomes the sword blade engraver Yanagimura Soju (柳村宗寿, やなぎむらそうじゅ), who carved the Nihon-go Replica. Participants can see the replica without a glass case in between, and can also be among the first to see the second half of the special exhibition "Splendid Blade Carvings" (特別展「華麗なる刀身彫刻」), which begins the next day, Wednesday, November 18.
The event is held privately on the museum's closed day, November 17, so a limited number of people can enjoy the museum's exhibits at a relaxed pace. Participants also receive the museum's original Nihon-go Replica sword seal (刀朱印) as a gift.
Between 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM that day, participants can enter and leave the museum freely, view the exhibition rooms, and shop at the museum shop.
Viewing the Nihon-go Replica in Natural Light
The Nihon-go Replica is currently on display in the special exhibition "Splendid Blade Carvings." Normally, exhibited works can only be seen under lighting through a glass case. For this event, the museum turns down the room lighting as much as possible, takes the Nihon-go Replica out of the glass case, and lets participants hold it directly.
Viewing in natural light, without relying on room lighting, is close to the environment in which people of the past viewed swords in dimly lit castles and samurai residences. In a modern exhibition room, lighting brightens every detail so that the jigane (地鉄, blade steel) and hamon (刃文, temper line) can be seen. Natural light causes no reflections and emphasizes light and shadow, making the blade carving look more three-dimensional.
Holding the spear allows a close look at the shape of the blade, the hamon, and the jigane. The viewing environment is also the one that blade engravers originally envision as ideal for appreciating the delicate carving of the Nihon-go Replica. Participants can feel the solid weight, which differs from that of a tachi (太刀) or katana (刀), and how the expression of the carving changes with the light.
Yanagimura Soju will also attend the viewing. Holding the actual Nihon-go Replica, participants can hear him explain the blade carving and share behind-the-scenes stories from its creation.
Event Details
- Event name: Nihon-go Replica Special Viewing (《日本号写し》特別鑑賞会)
- Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2026, 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM
- Venue: 6F Learning Room, Nagoya Touken Museum "Nagoya Touken World"
- Participation fee: ¥4,000 per person (tax included), which also covers museum admission
- Participation bonus: Nihon-go Replica sword seal (刀朱印)
- Capacity: 15 people per session
- Viewing sessions: Participants choose from the following three time slots on the application page.
- Session 1: 1:30 PM to 2:15 PM
- Session 2: 2:30 PM to 3:15 PM
- Session 3: 3:30 PM to 4:15 PM
- Apply: https://ticket.rakuten.co.jp/mini/events/gD518YBQL
Notes
- To protect the works, the event is held in small groups with time slots that change over. Please allow plenty of time.
- Applications close as soon as the capacity is reached.
Entry Notes
- Please go to the museum shop reception on the 1st floor of the North Building (北館).
- Show the e-ticket screen to the staff, and a paper admission ticket will be issued.
- The museum also has entrance gates on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the Main Building (本館), but these gates will be closed on the day.
About Yanagimura Soju and the Nihon-go Replica
The original Nihon-go is an ōmi-yari counted among the "Three Famous Spears of the Realm" (天下三名槍) and is now held by the Fukuoka Art Museum in Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture. The museum's Nihon-go Replica was made based on this famous spear. It was forged in 2024 (Reiwa 6) by Kanbayashi Tsunehira (上林恒平, かんばやしつねひら), a Mukansa (無鑑査) swordsmith. The Kurikara dragon (俱利伽羅龍, くりからりゅう) carving, which is a symbol of Nihon-go, was done by Yanagimura Soju.
For this carving on the Nihon-go Replica, Yanagimura Soju received the Kunzan Prize (薫山賞), the highest award given to especially outstanding works in the blade carving category (刀身彫の部) of the 2025 (Reiwa 7) Contemporary Sword Craftsmen Exhibition (現代刀職展), hosted by the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords (日本美術刀剣保存協会). The special exhibition "Splendid Blade Carvings" is being held to commemorate his Kunzan Prize.
Highlights of the Second Half of the Special Exhibition
The Nihon-go Replica Special Viewing takes place the day before the second half of the special exhibition "Splendid Blade Carvings" begins, so participants can see the second-half display ahead of the general public.
One of the works appearing in the second half is a wakizashi (脇差) with the inscription 加賀国住両山子正峯彫同作 応需渡辺昌一君 昭和戊申八月日, made by the swordsmith Sumitani Masamine (隅谷正峯), who was designated a Living National Treasure. It has a Kurikara dragon on the front side (差表) and, on the reverse side (差裏), an inside-the-groove carving (樋内彫) of "Kanman" (カンマーン), which represents Fudō Myōō (不動明王). This design copies the National Treasure tachi "Koryu Kagemitsu" (小竜景光), held by the Tokyo National Museum in Taito Ward, Tokyo.
The second-half display also includes works by Mitsuyo (光世), a swordsmith of the Miike school (三池派) who was active in the Nanboku-chō period, and by Echizen Yasutsugu (越前康継), a swordsmith who served Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川家康). Visitors can compare a variety of carvings and enjoy the world of blade carving.
Many swords have their front and back sides switched between the first and second halves, so visitors can see the reverse sides that are not normally visible. One example is a wakizashi with the inscription 粟田口近江守忠綱 彫物大坂住藤田通意 by Ikkanshi Tadatsuna (一竿子忠綱), a swordsmith active in Osaka in the Edo period.
In the "Famous Swords Corner" (名刀コーナー) of the 4th-floor special exhibition room in the North Building, the same room as the special exhibition, Mikazuki Kanemitsu (三日月兼光) is also on display. Its highlights are the crescent-moon-like hamon, the quiet beauty characteristic of the Bizen tradition (備前伝), and the Kurikara dragon carving that it also bears.
Visitor Information
- Venue: Nagoya Touken Museum "Nagoya Touken World," 3-35-43 Sakae, Naka Ward, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture
- Access:
- 10-minute walk from Yabacho Station on the Nagoya Municipal Subway Meijo Line
- 9-minute walk from Osu Kannon Station on the Nagoya Municipal Subway Tsurumai Line
- 12-minute walk from Fushimi Station on the Nagoya Municipal Subway Higashiyama Line
- Access details: https://www.meihaku.jp/access/
- Official website: https://www.meihaku.jp/
- Official X: https://x.com/meihaku_touken
- Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meihaku.touken/
- Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meihaku.touken
