Japanese Swords (Nihonto)
Nihonto — Japanese swords — are weapons and works of art produced by named smiths across more than a thousand years of unbroken tradition. Browse authenticated examples from 98 specialist dealers worldwide, certified by NBTHK and other recognized appraisal organizations.
Sword Types
- KatanaBrowse authentic Japanese katana for sale from trusted dealers in Japan and worldwide.
- WakizashiBrowse authentic Japanese wakizashi for sale.
- TantoBrowse authentic Japanese tanto for sale.
- TachiBrowse authentic Japanese tachi for sale.
- NaginataBrowse authentic Japanese naginata blades for sale.
- YariBrowse authentic Japanese yari spear blades for sale.
- DaishoBrowse authentic daisho for sale — matched pairs of katana and wakizashi, the defining badge of the samurai class, from trusted dealers in Japan and worldwide.
- Juyo Bizen SwordsBrowse NBTHK Juyo certified Bizen school swords.
- Juyo Soshu SwordsBrowse NBTHK Juyo certified Soshu school swords.
- Juyo Yamashiro SwordsBrowse NBTHK Juyo certified Yamashiro school swords.
- Juyo Mino SwordsBrowse NBTHK Juyo certified Mino school swords.
- Hozon Bizen SwordsBrowse NBTHK Hozon certified Bizen school swords from trusted dealers.
- Hozon Soshu SwordsBrowse NBTHK Hozon certified Soshu school swords.
- Hozon Yamashiro SwordsBrowse NBTHK Hozon certified Yamashiro school swords.
- Hozon Mino SwordsBrowse NBTHK Hozon certified Mino school swords.
- Hozon Yamato SwordsBrowse NBTHK Hozon certified Yamato school swords.
- Tokubetsu Hozon Bizen SwordsBrowse NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Bizen school swords.
- Tokubetsu Hozon Yamashiro SwordsBrowse NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Yamashiro school swords.
- Tokubetsu Hozon Soshu SwordsBrowse NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Soshu school swords.
- Juyo Koto SwordsBrowse NBTHK Juyo certified Koto-era swords.
- Juyo Shinto SwordsBrowse NBTHK Juyo certified Shinto-era swords.
- Hozon Koto SwordsBrowse NBTHK Hozon certified Koto-era swords.
- Hozon Shinto SwordsBrowse NBTHK Hozon certified Shinto-era swords.
- Hozon Shinshinto SwordsBrowse NBTHK Hozon certified Shinshinto-era swords.
- Tokubetsu Hozon Koto SwordsBrowse NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Koto-era swords.
- Tokubetsu Hozon Shinto SwordsBrowse NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Shinto-era swords.
- Tokubetsu Hozon Shinshinto SwordsBrowse NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Shinshinto-era swords.
- Musashi Province SwordsBrowse Japanese swords from Musashi province — the Edo shogunal capital and a leading Shinto-era sword center.
- Hizen Province SwordsBrowse Japanese swords from Hizen province in Kyushu — home of the Hizen Tadayoshi school and its renowned konuka-hada steel.
- Higo Province SwordsBrowse Japanese swords from Higo province in Kyushu — known for the Dotanuki and Enju schools, and as a celebrated center of sword fittings.
- Owari Province SwordsBrowse Japanese swords from Owari province around Nagoya — a Shinto-era center and home of the famed Owari sukashi tsuba tradition.
- Satsuma Province SwordsBrowse Japanese swords from Satsuma province in southern Kyushu — home of the Naminohira school and bakumatsu masters such as Motohira and Masakiyo.
- Echizen Province SwordsBrowse Japanese swords from Echizen province (Fukui) — a Shinto-era center home to the Yasutsugu and Shimosaka lines.
- Kaga Province SwordsBrowse Japanese swords from Kaga province on the Japan Sea coast — known for the Kaga Kiyomitsu and Fujishima smiths.
- Settsu Province SwordsBrowse Japanese swords from Settsu province — the Osaka heart of the Osaka-Shinto school, home to masters like Inoue Shinkai and Tsuda Sukehiro.
- Mutsu Province SwordsBrowse Japanese swords from Mutsu province in the far north — home to the ancient Hoju school and the Aizu smiths.
- Hitachi Province SwordsBrowse Japanese swords from Hitachi province — seat of the Mito Tokugawa and home to bakumatsu smiths such as Katsumura Norikatsu.
- Bungo Province SwordsBrowse Japanese swords from Bungo province in Kyushu — known for the prolific Takada (Bungo) school.
- Chikuzen Province SwordsBrowse Japanese swords from Chikuzen province in Kyushu — home to the Nobukuni and Kongobyoe traditions and the Samonji lineage.
- Kamakura Period SwordsBrowse Kamakura period Japanese swords — the golden age of swordmaking that produced the Ichimonji, Awataguchi, Rai and Soshu masters.
- Nanbokuchō Period SwordsBrowse Nanbokuchō period Japanese swords — the era of grand, flamboyant blades by Soshu, Chogi and Nobukuni smiths.
- Muromachi Period SwordsBrowse Muromachi period Japanese swords — from refined Oei-Bizen work to the practical, widely produced blades of Sue-Bizen and Seki (Mino).
- Momoyama Period SwordsBrowse Momoyama period Japanese swords — the transition to the Shinto era led by reformers such as Horikawa Kunihiro and Umetada Myoju.
- Edo Period SwordsBrowse Edo period Japanese swords — the refined Shinto and Shinshinto schools of Osaka, Kyoto and Edo, including the revival led by Suishinshi Masahide.
- All Japanese Swords for SaleThe whole sword market in one view: every type, with the vocabulary explained for new buyers.
- Samurai Swords, ExplainedWhat "samurai sword" means to collectors, and how to buy the real thing.
NBTHK Certification Grades
Each sword on NihontoWatch links back to its dealer for direct inquiry and purchase. Listings are aggregated daily from the dealers' own catalogs, and every entry includes the original source URL so collectors can verify provenance independently.
The most commonly traded sword types are katana (the long curved sword worn edge-up, the classical samurai blade), wakizashi (the shorter companion sword), and tanto (daggers). Older styles include tachi (the ancestral long sword worn edge-down by mounted warriors), naginata (polearms with curved blades), and yari (straight spear blades) — these are rarer and command premium prices for surviving examples in koto-era (pre-1596) condition.
The NBTHK (Society for Preservation of Japanese Art Swords) issues four primary certifications. Hozon ("worthy of preservation") confirms authenticity and quality. Tokubetsu Hozon ("especially worthy") marks a higher tier of preservation and importance. Juyo Token ("important sword") is the second-highest rank, awarded only to a minority of the blades submitted. Tokubetsu Juyo Token ("especially important") is the NBTHK's highest rank: it is awarded at a separate, less frequent examination, only to blades already designated Juyo, and is judged on par with a nationally designated Important Cultural Property. Papers issued before 1982 (Kicho and Tokubetsu Kicho) are no longer issued and are largely disavowed by the NBTHK today.