説明
Antique Japanese Sword Wakizashi Signed by Mitsuhira with NBTHK
Hozon
Certificate
【Description】
This blade is attributed to the work of Taishin Hokkyo Minamoto Mitsuhira(泰信法橋源光平) by NBTHK while the signature “Mitsuhira” part is gone due to Suriage(adjusting the length of the blade in the past). Minamoto Mitsuhira is also known as Heki Mitsuhira(日置光平).
Mitsuhira was born in Omi province(Today’s Shiga prefecture). He belonged to Ishido school, initially founded in Bizen province(today’s Okayama prefecture). It is said that Mitsuhira is a descendant of members of Ishido school who moved to Omi province from Bizen province during the Muromachi period.
It is said that during Seiho era(1645-1648), Mitshira moved from Omi province to Edo city along with other Ishido swordsmiths from the region. Mitsuhira is famous for founding the Edo Ishido school in the early Edo period.
He was recognized as one of the most skilled swordsmiths in Edo Ishido school. He revitalized the Bizen Ichimonji DEN tradition in Edo city when the Soshu DEN tradition was prevalent. He was excellent at forging Choji Midare Hamon, which is the signature characteristic of the Bizen Ichimonji tradition. Choji Midare is a type of Hamon(tempering line) consisting of Choji(clove) shapes, but the overall line of the Hamon has no definable form. There are five traditional sword forging methods in Japan; SOSHU DEN, BIZEN DEN, YAMASHIRO DEN, YAMATO DEN, and MINO DEN.
Mitsuhira received the title of Dewano kami(出羽守) in 1652(the first year of Jyo-Ou) and Hokkyo(法橋) in 1663(the third year of Kanbun era). He became a Buddist monk later on in his life, and he got another title Taishin(泰信). As this blade has the signature of Taishin Hokkyo, we believe this blade was forged after 1663.
He was allowed to inscribe a chrysanthemum emblem, which is the symbol of the Japanese emperor. His sword-forging technique was so great that the emperor licensed him to use this emblem, which was quite honorable for any swordsmiths.
This blade has a Hozon certificate issued by NBTHK. This authentication paper was only given to Japanese swords, worth preserving by Nihon Bijutsu Touken Hozon Kyokai(the Society for the Preservation of the Japan Art Sword).
【 Blade】
Cutting Edge Length(Nagasa)
:
54.2 cm ( 21.3
inches)
Curvature(Sori)
:
1.2
cm( 0.47inches)
Hamon:
The crystalline structure which forms along the cutting edge of a blade as a result of the hardening process
Jimon(Jihada):
visible steel surface pattern created by folding and hammering during forging process
Nakago
:
Nakago is the tang of the Japanese sword.
Japanese swordsmiths left the black rust on the tang on purpose to prevent red rust while the tang is in its handle. And the discoloration of the tang was created over time, which is a great indicator for a Japanese sword specialist to estimate when the sword was forged.
Habaki
:
Habaki is the equipment to make the blade not touch its scabbard inside. It prevents the blade from getting rusty and chipped.
Authentication Paper
:
NBTHK Hozon Certificate for the blade (No.384136)
NBTHK, also known as Nihon Bijutsu Touken Hozon Kyokai (the Society for the Preservation of the Japan Art Sword), is one of the oldest Japanese sword appraising organizations in modern-day Japan. They authenticated the blade on August 12th in the 21th year of Heisei (2009). They appraised it as Hozon Touken, the blade worth preserving for Japanese society. The purchaser will receive this original certificate as well. We can also translate what is written into English and make a PDF file for your record if you request.
Registration Number :
Kanagawa 65520
The Board of Education in Kanagawa prefecture issued a registration paper for this sword . In order to obtain this paper, the sword needs to be traditionally hand forged. With this paper, its owner can legally own an authentic Japanese sword in Japan.
This paper will need to be returned to the board of education when the sword being shipped abroad but you can receiv