NihontoWatchCharacteristics: Shibata Kan, whose real name was Shibata Masataro, was born in Meiji 17 into a prestigious and wealthy family in Ogachi-gun, Akita Prefecture, in what is now Ugo-machi; he was a tosho who was active before and during the war and held the title of "Kokko," the highest rank for a swordsmith. Starting with his selection for the Teiten in Showa 9, he won numerous awards including the Prime Minister's Award, Special Award, and Army Minister's Award, and due to his superior excellence, he received the honor of presenting a kenjoto to the Imperial Family and obtained the title of "Kokko," the highest rank for a tosho. He was a genius tosho who could be called unique and was highly active throughout the pre-war and wartime periods; he received the honor of serving as a judge for the Shinsaku Nihonto Ten and the title of Gon-daisojo, and achieved the highest evaluation, being ranked as one of the 12 individuals in the Shinpin rank of the Seidai Tosho Iretsuhyo.
Certificate reading — 銘 果作（柴田果） 皇紀二千六百四年八月吉日
NihontoWatchShibata Ka柴田果
Offered by Samurai Shokai
5 on the market
Machine translation from the shop's Japanese · may contain errors ·
Dewa · around 1926-1989
5 pieces 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.
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 siteReturns are possible within 3 days of the item's arrival; however, cooling-off may not apply if any of the notes below applies. Notes: - The item's condition differs from the time of sale - 3 or more days have passed since the item's arrival - A trade-in item was part of the purchase - Items delivered overseas cannot be returned - The item was purchased in our shop - Return shipping and the bank transfer fee for the refund are at the customer's expense Please also note that bank transfer fees, credit card fees and cash-on-delivery fees cannot be refunded. (Refunds for credit card, cash-on-delivery and similar payments are made after the payment has reached us.)
Price on request