Edo was the sword’s age of connoisseurship: the Hon’ami appraisers, the shogunal register of famous blades of 1719, and a thriving literature turned the sword into an object of study even as it ceased to be drawn in war.
NihontoWatchNihontoWatchThis daishô pairs a katana by Musashi no Kami Yoshikado with a wakizashi by Wakasa no Kami Michitoki, two smiths of different generations brought together in one magnificent union. Yoshikado was active in the Mito domain of Hitachi province from the Kan’ei era (1624-1644) through the Enpô era (1673-1681). Born in Mino, he proudly inscribed his Seki Zenjô Kaneyoshi lineage in his signature. He trained under Ômura Kaboku, a figure of unusual background who was both a physician and a swordsmith, and served as private retained smith to Tokugawa Mitsukuni, the second daimyô of Mito. Ranked jôsaku, with a cutting-sharpness rating of ryô-wazamono, Yoshikado signed this blade with the title Musashi no Kami, which dates it before Enpô 4 (1676), most likely to around the Kanbun era (1661-1673). The katana measures 71.0cm with deep sori, a pronounced taper from moto-haba to saki-haba and a chû-kissaki. The jihada is a fine, tight ko-itame with itame near the monouchi and standing-out utsuri, while the chôji-midare hamon, with thick nie, bright nioiguchi and sunagashi, produces a strikingly brilliant effect. Yahazuba and pointed togari appear along the hamon, and tobiyaki scatter through the ji. Michitoki, who flourished around the Shôtoku era (1711-1716), trained under the first-generation Miyoshi Nagamichi and later under the third-generation Iga no Kami Kinmichi, holder of the title Nihon Kaji Sôshô, Grand Master of Japanese Smiths. After receiving the title Wakasa no Kami he was permitted, alongside Kinmichi, to carve a chrysanthemum crest into the nakago, which suggests he may have produced blades for the imperial court. His wakizashi shows a ko-itame jihada through which masame flows, and a bright gunome-midare hamon with long ashi, thick nie and sunagashi. Two parallel lines of kinsuji appear in one area, which is quite rare. A wonderful custom daishô koshirae, produced by Unique Japan, is unified throughout in black. Its most distinctive feature is the togidashi-zame, polished ray-skin, that wraps the lower portion of each saya with quiet elegance, matched by copper ganseki habaki with a rock-textured finish. The paired iron daishô tsuba is by the Aizu Shôami school and depicts noble scholars at leisure. The fuchi-kashira, from the Môgarashi school of Hikone, shows autumn grasses and flowers in gold and colour accents on a shakudô nanako ground. A crane menuki by Hamano Shôzui on the katana and a tortoise menuki by Matsushitatei Motohiro on the wakizashi pair longevity symbols from two leading metalworkers, and the kozuka by Akagiken Motonaga shows a dragon rising above Mount Fuji. A daishô worthy of the name.
Offered by Unique Japan
This piece has sold
3 on the market
Get an email when a new Zensho Yoshikado piece hits the market.
Mino-den · Musashi · around 1644-1648
Tōken Taikan top 49%
Mino-den · Mino
3 pieces on the market now
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Kaneshige兼重 | 1504-1521 | 0 |
| Kaneyoshi兼吉 | 1854-1860 | 0 |
| Kanekado兼門 | 1428-1429 | 0 |
| Yoshikado吉門 | 1624-1644 | 0 |
| Chikanori近則 | 1818-1864 | 0 |
The Edo period (1615 to 1868)
Edo was the sword’s age of connoisseurship: the Hon’ami appraisers, the shogunal register of famous blades of 1719, and a thriving literature turned the sword into an object of study even as it ceased to be drawn in war.
A Hozon-certified blade judged to show notably superior workmanship and a better state of preservation. The bar is higher: re-tempered blades and most unsigned Muromachi/Edo works are excluded.
The NBTHK (Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai, the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords) is a public-interest incorporated foundation founded in 1948 and supervised by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs (Bunkachō); it is based at the Japanese Sword Museum in Tokyo. Its expert panels physically examine each submitted work (shinsa) and issue a certificate (kanteishō) ranking it by artistic and historical merit. NBTHK papers are the most widely recognized standard of authentication for Japanese swords and fittings.
NBTHK official siteAll swords come with a three-day inspection period beginning from the date of delivery. If not satisfied, the sword may be returned within this period for a full refund of the purchase price. Outside of this period, all sales are final. Swords purchased on a layaway payment plan are not eligible for the three-day inspection period.