This Katana is signed "Bishu Nakaji Ju Moritsugu Saku" and is attributed to the Ko-Aoe school. It has been certified as a 16th NBTHK Juyo Token and features a sayagaki by Hon'ami Kōson from 1954. The blade exhibits a deep curvature, fine ko-itame-hada with utsuri, and a nie-based gunome-midare hamon, characteristic of the late Kamakura period.
中路盛次は銘鑑には、時代延文、備前とあり、その系統師伝等を明らかにしないが、作風が備前よりも備後物な どに近く、銘も刀銘である点は注目すべきところであろう。 珍品ながらその完全な究明は今後の問題であり、他には類 品同作を鑑たことがない。
NihontoWatchmei · Ko-Aoe · Shokei (1332-1334) ND · nagasa 71cm · sori 2.7cm
Bizen-den · Bitchu · around 1332-1334
1 piece on the market now
Where Moritsugu stands among comparable artisans: across all of nihontō, and within tradition, era, and period. The tiers (Foremost · Leading · Major · Notable) weigh official designations from the NBTHK and Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs, together with historical honors of lasting repute such as the Sansaku and Meibutsu-chō.
Select a lens to see how it's measured.
Bizen-den · Bitchu
Phase: Chū-Aoe中青江· 1235–1334
6 pieces on the market now
The Chu-Aoe school represents the middle and culminating phase of the Aoe tradition of Bitchu Province, encompassing smiths active from the late Kamakura period through the Nanbokucho era. The lineage traces its origins to an ancient swordmaking heritage in the lower basin of the Takahashi River, a tradition already celebrated in the eleventh-century Shin Sarugakki, which counted "the swords of Bitchu" among the notable products of the provinces. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Tsugunao次直 | 1345-1361 | 25 |
| Naotsugu直次 | 1335-1364 | 15 |
| Yoshitsugu吉次 | 1326-1332 | 17 |
| Moritsugu守次 | 1356-1361 | 9 |
| Tsuguyoshi次吉 | 1338-1358 | 19 |
A blade of top-grade workmanship and condition, formally judged to rank with a nationally recognized Important Art Object (Jūyō Bijutsuhin). Awarded only at the NBTHK’s competitive annual examination.
Of Japan’s roughly 2.5 million registered swords, only 12,307 (about 1 in 203) have ever attained Jūyō.
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 siteIf you wish to return an item, please notify us within 3 days of receipt. After this period we cannot accept cancellations. Please ship the return to us within 5 business days. Cancellation is conditional on the item being kept in the same condition as at the time of sale, so please handle it with care.
This Katana is signed "Bishu Nakaji Ju Moritsugu Saku" and is attributed to the Ko-Aoe school. It has been certified as a 16th NBTHK Juyo Token and features a sayagaki by Hon'ami Kōson from 1954. The blade exhibits a deep curvature, fine ko-itame-hada with utsuri, and a nie-based gunome-midare hamon, characteristic of the late Kamakura period.
中路盛次は銘鑑には、時代延文、備前とあり、その系統師伝等を明らかにしないが、作風が備前よりも備後物な どに近く、銘も刀銘である点は注目すべきところであろう。 珍品ながらその完全な究明は今後の問題であり、他には類 品同作を鑑たことがない。
NihontoWatchmei · Ko-Aoe · Shokei (1332-1334) ND · nagasa 71cm · sori 2.7cm
Bizen-den · Bitchu · around 1332-1334
1 piece on the market now
Where Moritsugu stands among comparable artisans: across all of nihontō, and within tradition, era, and period. The tiers (Foremost · Leading · Major · Notable) weigh official designations from the NBTHK and Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs, together with historical honors of lasting repute such as the Sansaku and Meibutsu-chō.
Select a lens to see how it's measured.
Bizen-den · Bitchu
Phase: Chū-Aoe中青江· 1235–1334
6 pieces on the market now
The Chu-Aoe school represents the middle and culminating phase of the Aoe tradition of Bitchu Province, encompassing smiths active from the late Kamakura period through the Nanbokucho era. The lineage traces its origins to an ancient swordmaking heritage in the lower basin of the Takahashi River, a tradition already celebrated in the eleventh-century Shin Sarugakki, which counted "the swords of Bitchu" among the notable products of the provinces. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Tsugunao次直 | 1345-1361 | 25 |
| Naotsugu直次 | 1335-1364 | 15 |
| Yoshitsugu吉次 | 1326-1332 | 17 |
| Moritsugu守次 | 1356-1361 | 9 |
| Tsuguyoshi次吉 | 1338-1358 | 19 |
A blade of top-grade workmanship and condition, formally judged to rank with a nationally recognized Important Art Object (Jūyō Bijutsuhin). Awarded only at the NBTHK’s competitive annual examination.
Of Japan’s roughly 2.5 million registered swords, only 12,307 (about 1 in 203) have ever attained Jūyō.
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 siteIf you wish to return an item, please notify us within 3 days of receipt. After this period we cannot accept cancellations. Please ship the return to us within 5 business days. Cancellation is conditional on the item being kept in the same condition as at the time of sale, so please handle it with care.
