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 has arrived, it has arrived—a precious work from an old family, carefully passed down through generations, featuring a set of *daisho* with their original *koshirae* from the Edo period, approximately 200 years ago. This is the long-awaited work for those who wish to display a *daisho* set in their home. The maker of the *daito* is *mumei*, but it has been handed down as a sword of the level of Nanto-ju Kanabo Hyoe-no-jo Masatsugu. It was made around the Koji era of the Muromachi period (1555) (471 years ago), exactly the time when Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen fought fiercely at Kawanakajima. This blade was shortened by a later samurai who desperately wanted it as his own *sashiryo*, adjusting it to suit his swordsmanship; it displays a fine *sugata* with a difference between the *moto-mihaba* and *saki-mihaba*, a graceful *sori*, and a large *kissaki*. While the *jigane* is not clearly visible as you can see, it appears to be a powerful *jigane* with *itame-hada* mixed with *mokume-hada* and fine *ji-nie*. The *hamon* is also not clearly visible, but it is a *gunome-midare* in *nioi-deki* with *ko-nie*, featuring frequent *ko-ashi* and *yo*. The *wakizashi* maker, the first generation Hishu Dewa no Kami Yukihiro, was the grandson of the first generation Hizen no Kuni Tadayoshi, a master of Keicho *shinto*. He received the title of *Dewa no Kami* in Kanbun 3 of the Edo period (1663) (363 years ago). Furthermore, Yukihiro was a swordsmith with a wonderful and vigorous desire for learning; the reason he carved "Ichi" (One) or "Ichimonji" on this *wakizashi* is because he later learned the Bizen-den forging methods from the Ishido school smiths. Carving the "Ichi" strongly represents the Bizen Ichimonji tradition. He became a retained smith for the Nabeshima family of the Saga Takeo Domain (21,600 *koku*). The *sugata* of this *wakizashi* is a magnificent, powerful one with a wide *moto-mihaba* and *saki-mihaba*. The *jigane* is a well-packed *ko-itame* with fine *ji-nie*, and the *hamon* is a splendid *suguha* style in *nioi-deki* with *ko-nie*, which was his family tradition. The *koshirae* also features Edo period Akasaka *tetsu-ji* *daisho* *tsuba*, *fuchi-kashira* with a wave design on *shakudo-ji* for both, and *menuki* with a gold *iroe* dragon design for both; although there is wear from age, these luxurious *koshirae* add further splendor to this *daisho*. This *daisho* set has been cherished by an old family for generations, but as they have grown old, we have been entrusted to pass it on at a low price to someone who will treasure it. Because the *daito* blade has some large *hada*, we are offering this precious, original *daisho* at a special bargain price. Please enjoy it.
Certificate reading — 無銘（金房）
NihontoWatchmumei · Muromachi · nagasa 68.6cm · sori 2.2cm
Wakimono · Yamato
8 pieces on the market now
The Kanabō (金房) smiths worked in Nanto, the old name for Nara in Yamato province, from the end of the Muromachi period into the early Shintō era. Their relationship to any of the five established Yamato schools is not clearly fixed in the record, and the NBTHK setsumei treat the group as one that rose and flourished in Nara during the late Muromachi decades, with dated examples encountered from the Eishō era onward. The blades here name several hands. Masatsugu (政次), who signed as Kanabō Hyōe no Jō Masatsugu and as Kanefusa Hyōe no Jō Masatsugu, is described as the representative and best-known smith of the line. Masasada (政定), signing Kanefusa Saemon-no-jō Masasada, left an uchigatana dated Eiroku 2 (1559). " Rather than the classical Yamato-den manner of the earlier five schools, the Kanabō hand reads as a Muromachi uchigatana idiom that shares points with the Sue-Bizen and Sue-Seki spheres. The kitae is itame that flows into nagare and tends toward masame, with the grain often standing and growing large, and a whitish utsuri appearing in places. The hamon divides between two registers the setsumei repeatedly cite: a large gunome-based midare, the "hips" of the gunome opening out and mixed at times with togari-ba, chōji, or ko-notare; and a suguha carried on a tight nioiguchi.
Across both, ashi and yō enter well and stand out, ko-nie and ji-nie adhere, and sunagashi with kinsuji run through; the nioiguchi frequently takes a shizumi, subdued cast. The bōshi runs midare-komi, often with hakikake and a pointed or ko-maru return. The build tends to broad mihaba with sakizori on the swords, while naginata are conspicuously common, a production read as answering the demands of the warrior monks (sōhei) of Kōfukuji and the great Nanto temples. For kantei, the line is held by the flowing masame-tending itame, the broad gunome-midare with prominent ashi and yō over a tight or subdued nioiguchi, and the marked presence of naginata and long polearm blades among extant work. The setsumei single out Masatsugu's polearms as typical of his hand, several preserved with their vermilion-lacquer nagamaki mounts (shunuri nagamaki koshirae) and one black-lacquer naginata mounting, the fittings inferred to have been made together with the blade. The records grant that true masterworks within the group are rare, yet they describe individual blades by Masatsugu and Masasada with fine jigane, skillfully cut horimono, and workmanship judged excellent and dignified. Within the wider Yamato sphere the Kanabō stand as a late, utilitarian offshoot whose polearms and serviceable swords carry the group's name into the NBTHK register. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Masatsugu政次 | 1492-1570 | 4 |
| Masazane正眞 | 1532-1555 | 0 |
| Masasada政定 | 1521-1559 | 1 |
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.
Certifies a genuine blade worth preserving: a signature confirmed correct, or, if unsigned, an era, province, and school that the NBTHK can reliably identify.
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 siteFor 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.
¥950,000
It has arrived, it has arrived—a precious work from an old family, carefully passed down through generations, featuring a set of *daisho* with their original *koshirae* from the Edo period, approximately 200 years ago. This is the long-awaited work for those who wish to display a *daisho* set in their home. The maker of the *daito* is *mumei*, but it has been handed down as a sword of the level of Nanto-ju Kanabo Hyoe-no-jo Masatsugu. It was made around the Koji era of the Muromachi period (1555) (471 years ago), exactly the time when Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen fought fiercely at Kawanakajima. This blade was shortened by a later samurai who desperately wanted it as his own *sashiryo*, adjusting it to suit his swordsmanship; it displays a fine *sugata* with a difference between the *moto-mihaba* and *saki-mihaba*, a graceful *sori*, and a large *kissaki*. While the *jigane* is not clearly visible as you can see, it appears to be a powerful *jigane* with *itame-hada* mixed with *mokume-hada* and fine *ji-nie*. The *hamon* is also not clearly visible, but it is a *gunome-midare* in *nioi-deki* with *ko-nie*, featuring frequent *ko-ashi* and *yo*. The *wakizashi* maker, the first generation Hishu Dewa no Kami Yukihiro, was the grandson of the first generation Hizen no Kuni Tadayoshi, a master of Keicho *shinto*. He received the title of *Dewa no Kami* in Kanbun 3 of the Edo period (1663) (363 years ago). Furthermore, Yukihiro was a swordsmith with a wonderful and vigorous desire for learning; the reason he carved "Ichi" (One) or "Ichimonji" on this *wakizashi* is because he later learned the Bizen-den forging methods from the Ishido school smiths. Carving the "Ichi" strongly represents the Bizen Ichimonji tradition. He became a retained smith for the Nabeshima family of the Saga Takeo Domain (21,600 *koku*). The *sugata* of this *wakizashi* is a magnificent, powerful one with a wide *moto-mihaba* and *saki-mihaba*. The *jigane* is a well-packed *ko-itame* with fine *ji-nie*, and the *hamon* is a splendid *suguha* style in *nioi-deki* with *ko-nie*, which was his family tradition. The *koshirae* also features Edo period Akasaka *tetsu-ji* *daisho* *tsuba*, *fuchi-kashira* with a wave design on *shakudo-ji* for both, and *menuki* with a gold *iroe* dragon design for both; although there is wear from age, these luxurious *koshirae* add further splendor to this *daisho*. This *daisho* set has been cherished by an old family for generations, but as they have grown old, we have been entrusted to pass it on at a low price to someone who will treasure it. Because the *daito* blade has some large *hada*, we are offering this precious, original *daisho* at a special bargain price. Please enjoy it.
Certificate reading — 無銘（金房）
NihontoWatchmumei · Muromachi · nagasa 68.6cm · sori 2.2cm
Wakimono · Yamato
8 pieces on the market now
The Kanabō (金房) smiths worked in Nanto, the old name for Nara in Yamato province, from the end of the Muromachi period into the early Shintō era. Their relationship to any of the five established Yamato schools is not clearly fixed in the record, and the NBTHK setsumei treat the group as one that rose and flourished in Nara during the late Muromachi decades, with dated examples encountered from the Eishō era onward. The blades here name several hands. Masatsugu (政次), who signed as Kanabō Hyōe no Jō Masatsugu and as Kanefusa Hyōe no Jō Masatsugu, is described as the representative and best-known smith of the line. Masasada (政定), signing Kanefusa Saemon-no-jō Masasada, left an uchigatana dated Eiroku 2 (1559). " Rather than the classical Yamato-den manner of the earlier five schools, the Kanabō hand reads as a Muromachi uchigatana idiom that shares points with the Sue-Bizen and Sue-Seki spheres. The kitae is itame that flows into nagare and tends toward masame, with the grain often standing and growing large, and a whitish utsuri appearing in places. The hamon divides between two registers the setsumei repeatedly cite: a large gunome-based midare, the "hips" of the gunome opening out and mixed at times with togari-ba, chōji, or ko-notare; and a suguha carried on a tight nioiguchi.
Across both, ashi and yō enter well and stand out, ko-nie and ji-nie adhere, and sunagashi with kinsuji run through; the nioiguchi frequently takes a shizumi, subdued cast. The bōshi runs midare-komi, often with hakikake and a pointed or ko-maru return. The build tends to broad mihaba with sakizori on the swords, while naginata are conspicuously common, a production read as answering the demands of the warrior monks (sōhei) of Kōfukuji and the great Nanto temples. For kantei, the line is held by the flowing masame-tending itame, the broad gunome-midare with prominent ashi and yō over a tight or subdued nioiguchi, and the marked presence of naginata and long polearm blades among extant work. The setsumei single out Masatsugu's polearms as typical of his hand, several preserved with their vermilion-lacquer nagamaki mounts (shunuri nagamaki koshirae) and one black-lacquer naginata mounting, the fittings inferred to have been made together with the blade. The records grant that true masterworks within the group are rare, yet they describe individual blades by Masatsugu and Masasada with fine jigane, skillfully cut horimono, and workmanship judged excellent and dignified. Within the wider Yamato sphere the Kanabō stand as a late, utilitarian offshoot whose polearms and serviceable swords carry the group's name into the NBTHK register. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Masatsugu政次 | 1492-1570 | 4 |
| Masazane正眞 | 1532-1555 | 0 |
| Masasada政定 | 1521-1559 | 1 |
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.
Certifies a genuine blade worth preserving: a signature confirmed correct, or, if unsigned, an era, province, and school that the NBTHK can reliably identify.
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 siteFor 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.
¥950,000
