NihontoWatchThis is a hira-zukuri tanto by Yasutoshi, whose real name was Masuda Kaname. He joined the Nihonto Tanren Kai at Yasukuni Shrine in 1937 and was granted the name Yasutoshi by the Army Minister in 1944, becoming one of only 12 smiths to receive this honor. After the war, he resumed sword making in Chigasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, from 1953, and received numerous awards, including 16 from the NBTHK. This well-made tanto features a tight itame hada with ji-nie, and a suguha hamon mixed with ko-gunome, bright and clear with ko-nie, sunagashi, and ashi.
NihontoWatchOffered by World Seiyudo
Tokyo · around 1926-1989
Tōken Taikan top 100%
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.
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 siteNo cooling-off period or returns; refund only if the purchased sword is proven fake, capped at purchase price (excludes commission sales, accessories, auction items).