This antique Japanese wakizashi was made in 1829 by Kato Hoju in Uzen Province. It comes with an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Certificate, indicating its authenticity and high quality. The sword features a koshirae with motifs of hollyhock, birds, Genbu, Karakusa, and dragonflies, showcasing rich symbolic artistry.
Certificate reading — 銘 加藤宝寿造 文政十二年三月日
NihontoWatchmei · Tokuji (1306-1308) · nagasa 45.1cm · sori 1.21cm
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 limited to defects caused by shipping (except willful misconduct or gross negligence by the company); customers must contact within 72 hours of receiving the product.
This antique Japanese wakizashi was made in 1829 by Kato Hoju in Uzen Province. It comes with an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Certificate, indicating its authenticity and high quality. The sword features a koshirae with motifs of hollyhock, birds, Genbu, Karakusa, and dragonflies, showcasing rich symbolic artistry.
Certificate reading — 銘 加藤宝寿造 文政十二年三月日
NihontoWatchmei · Tokuji (1306-1308) · nagasa 45.1cm · sori 1.21cm
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 limited to defects caused by shipping (except willful misconduct or gross negligence by the company); customers must contact within 72 hours of receiving the product.
