This is a rare Ubu-Nakago Tachi by Houju, a representative smith of the Mogusa school active in Hiraizumi during the Kamakura period. It retains its original shape with a length of over 80cm and a wide mihaba, deep sori, and koshizori-funbaritsuki. The blade features a hadatatta jigane, mixed small-midare and small-gunome, with frequent small-ashi, you, kinsuji, and sunagashi, resulting in a bright and clear nioikuchi.
NihontoWatchmei · Mogusa · Kamakura · nagasa 80.8cm · sori 3cm
Mutsu · around 1306-1308
2 pieces on the market now
The Kamakura period (1185 to 1333)
Nearly every later authority calls Kamakura the golden age of the sword: the first warrior government as patron, the great traditions at full strength simultaneously, and, tradition holds, the finest smiths of the realm rotating through Go-Toba’s court.
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 siteReturns/exchanges/cancellations not accepted after shipment except for significant defects; if defective, return/exchange possible within 3 days of arrival (return shipping paid by customer).
This is a rare Ubu-Nakago Tachi by Houju, a representative smith of the Mogusa school active in Hiraizumi during the Kamakura period. It retains its original shape with a length of over 80cm and a wide mihaba, deep sori, and koshizori-funbaritsuki. The blade features a hadatatta jigane, mixed small-midare and small-gunome, with frequent small-ashi, you, kinsuji, and sunagashi, resulting in a bright and clear nioikuchi.
NihontoWatchmei · Mogusa · Kamakura · nagasa 80.8cm · sori 3cm
Mutsu · around 1306-1308
2 pieces on the market now
The Kamakura period (1185 to 1333)
Nearly every later authority calls Kamakura the golden age of the sword: the first warrior government as patron, the great traditions at full strength simultaneously, and, tradition holds, the finest smiths of the realm rotating through Go-Toba’s court.
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 siteReturns/exchanges/cancellations not accepted after shipment except for significant defects; if defective, return/exchange possible within 3 days of arrival (return shipping paid by customer).
