After the Ōnin War broke the Ashikaga order, a century of Sengoku warfare armed nearly every province in Japan. The era rewards a discriminating eye: routine work exists in quantity, and beside it stand custom blades of the first rank.
It’s here, it’s here—a koto of the old Katsuie Ietsugu school has appeared. Katsuie Ietsugu was a smith of the Fujishima school who produced works so closely resembling the masterpieces of Bitchu Aoe that this lineage of Ietsugu was granted the honorary title of "Kaga Aoe." This sword is by the Ietsugu famous as a "Wazamono" for being extremely sharp, dating to around the Bunmei era of the Muromachi period (1470) (555 years ago). This was exactly the era of the ninth Shogun, Ashikaga Yoshihisa. It is a very, very old work from about three years after the start of the Onin War in Kyoto. As for the sugata of this sword, it was originally a 2 shaku 3 sun katana that a later samurai shortened to match his own swordsmanship style in order to use it as his personal sashiryo. It shows a sugata with a slightly high shinogi and a koshi-sori (curving at the moto), with a distinct difference between the motohaba and sakihaba. The jigane is a slightly dark-tinted steel forged in itame-hada mixed with masame-hada. The hamon is finished in nioi-deki with nie, featuring a gunome-midareba that is intricately disordered; it is likely this type of yakiba that was renowned for its exceptional cutting ability since ancient times. On this occasion, an elderly connoisseur has entrusted this to us, saying they have grown old and wish for it to be passed on cheaply to someone who will cherish it. Therefore, we are offering it at a special discount price. Please enjoy this sword by Katsuie Ietsugu, honored as "Kaga Aoe," from 555 years ago, offered at a special bargain price.
NihontoWatchMuromachi · nagasa 63.5cm · sori 2.1cm
Kaga · around 1469-1487
Fujishiro Chu-jo saku · Tōken Taikan top 37%
1 piece on the market now
The Muromachi period (1392 to 1573)
After the Ōnin War broke the Ashikaga order, a century of Sengoku warfare armed nearly every province in Japan. The era rewards a discriminating eye: routine work exists in quantity, and beside it stand custom blades of the first rank.
We could not find an authenticity certificate on the seller’s listing. Japanese swords and fittings are normally papered by the NBTHK (or the NTHK). Without one, the attribution is the seller’s own assessment and has not been independently verified — treat it with caution and ask the dealer about certification before buying.
For returns due to customer circumstances, the cost is the customer's responsibility. For returns due to our mis-shipment or a defective item, we bear the cost.
It’s here, it’s here—a koto of the old Katsuie Ietsugu school has appeared. Katsuie Ietsugu was a smith of the Fujishima school who produced works so closely resembling the masterpieces of Bitchu Aoe that this lineage of Ietsugu was granted the honorary title of "Kaga Aoe." This sword is by the Ietsugu famous as a "Wazamono" for being extremely sharp, dating to around the Bunmei era of the Muromachi period (1470) (555 years ago). This was exactly the era of the ninth Shogun, Ashikaga Yoshihisa. It is a very, very old work from about three years after the start of the Onin War in Kyoto. As for the sugata of this sword, it was originally a 2 shaku 3 sun katana that a later samurai shortened to match his own swordsmanship style in order to use it as his personal sashiryo. It shows a sugata with a slightly high shinogi and a koshi-sori (curving at the moto), with a distinct difference between the motohaba and sakihaba. The jigane is a slightly dark-tinted steel forged in itame-hada mixed with masame-hada. The hamon is finished in nioi-deki with nie, featuring a gunome-midareba that is intricately disordered; it is likely this type of yakiba that was renowned for its exceptional cutting ability since ancient times. On this occasion, an elderly connoisseur has entrusted this to us, saying they have grown old and wish for it to be passed on cheaply to someone who will cherish it. Therefore, we are offering it at a special discount price. Please enjoy this sword by Katsuie Ietsugu, honored as "Kaga Aoe," from 555 years ago, offered at a special bargain price.
NihontoWatchMuromachi · nagasa 63.5cm · sori 2.1cm
Kaga · around 1469-1487
Fujishiro Chu-jo saku · Tōken Taikan top 37%
1 piece on the market now
The Muromachi period (1392 to 1573)
After the Ōnin War broke the Ashikaga order, a century of Sengoku warfare armed nearly every province in Japan. The era rewards a discriminating eye: routine work exists in quantity, and beside it stand custom blades of the first rank.
We could not find an authenticity certificate on the seller’s listing. Japanese swords and fittings are normally papered by the NBTHK (or the NTHK). Without one, the attribution is the seller’s own assessment and has not been independently verified — treat it with caution and ask the dealer about certification before buying.
For returns due to customer circumstances, the cost is the customer's responsibility. For returns due to our mis-shipment or a defective item, we bear the cost.
