Wakizashi by Inaba kami Hiroshige, a swordsmith who worked in Musashi province during the Edo period. This blade is designated as Tokubetsu Hozon Token by NBTHK. The inscription indicates a cutting test was performed in 1676, where the blade cut through a heavy body without the tsuba attached.
NihontoWatchmei · Kanei (1624-1644) · nagasa 52.8cm · sori 1cm
Musashi · around 1624-1644
Fujishiro Jo saku · Tōken Taikan top 60%
2 pieces on the market now
The Edo period (1615 to 1868)
Under the Tokugawa peace the daishō became a regulated uniform, and demand gathered in the castle towns, above all Edo itself. The craft split two ways: brilliant display work for connoisseurs, and tested blades whose cutting results were sometimes inlaid in gold.
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 siteCustomer-initiated returns accepted within two days of arrival; return shipping paid by customer and fees non-refundable. Returns/refunds unavailable for overseas deliveries.
Wakizashi by Inaba kami Hiroshige, a swordsmith who worked in Musashi province during the Edo period. This blade is designated as Tokubetsu Hozon Token by NBTHK. The inscription indicates a cutting test was performed in 1676, where the blade cut through a heavy body without the tsuba attached.
NihontoWatchmei · Kanei (1624-1644) · nagasa 52.8cm · sori 1cm
Musashi · around 1624-1644
Fujishiro Jo saku · Tōken Taikan top 60%
2 pieces on the market now
The Edo period (1615 to 1868)
Under the Tokugawa peace the daishō became a regulated uniform, and demand gathered in the castle towns, above all Edo itself. The craft split two ways: brilliant display work for connoisseurs, and tested blades whose cutting results were sometimes inlaid in gold.
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 siteCustomer-initiated returns accepted within two days of arrival; return shipping paid by customer and fees non-refundable. Returns/refunds unavailable for overseas deliveries.
