The twentieth century nearly killed the craft twice: wartime distortion, then the occupation ban. The NBTHK’s founding in 1948 and licensed forging from 1953 rebuilt the sword as an art, crowned by Living National Treasures and the mukansa rank.
This katana is made by Akamatsu-taro Mitsuhiro, whose real name is Kimura Mitsuhiro, a smith known for his skill in copying the style of Minamoto Kiyomaro. The blade features a magnificent O-kissaki shape with a wide moto-haba and saki-haba, and a strong sori. The jigane is a well-forged itame-hada with fine jinie, and the hamon is a vibrant choji-midare with bright nioiguchi and active ashi.
NihontoWatchmei · Akamatsu · Gendaito · nagasa 75.6cm · sori 2.1cm
Higo · around 2000-
1 piece on the market now
Shōwa to the present: destruction and revival
The twentieth century nearly killed the craft twice: wartime distortion, then the occupation ban. The NBTHK’s founding in 1948 and licensed forging from 1953 rebuilt the sword as an art, crowned by Living National Treasures and the mukansa 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.
No cooling-off period or returns; refund only if the purchased sword is proven fake, capped at purchase price (excludes commission sales, accessories, auction items).
