What counts as a Japanese sword?

To collectors, a Japanese sword means a nihonto: a blade hand-forged in Japan from folded steel, water-quenched to produce a visible temper line (hamon), and finished by a specialist polisher. Factory reproductions and decorative wall-hangers are a different product entirely; everything listed on this page comes from specialist dealers trading in the genuine article, from antique blades with centuries of history to registered work by contemporary smiths.

The market divides by form: the katana (long sword), the shorter companion wakizashi, the dagger-sized tanto, the older cavalry-style tachi, and rarer polearm blades such as naginata and yari. If you already know the form you want, the sword type directory is the fastest route in.

Authenticity and papers

Serious buyers look for certification papers from the NBTHK (Society for Preservation of Japanese Art Swords), issued after physical examination in Japan. The ladder runs from Hozon ("worthy of preservation") through Tokubetsu Hozon to Juyo Token and above. Each grade is a stricter judgement of quality and importance. A papered blade is the safe way to buy: the attribution, the era, and the authenticity have been examined by the recognized authority.

How buying works here

NihontoWatch is not a shop; it is the market, aggregated. We track the inventories of specialist dealers in Japan, the US, and Europe daily, and every listing links back to the dealer who holds the sword, so you inquire and buy directly from the source at the dealer's own price. Listings carry the original photographs, measurements, signatures, and certification details the dealer published.

The inventories here come from established houses such as Aoi Art, Choshuya and Toushin, alongside dozens of smaller specialists, and every listing names its dealer.