This kozuka features a Mousou design, signed by Hirotoshi of the Uchikoshi school. Made during the late Edo period, it depicts Mousou, one of the Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars, in oboro silver with intricate high-relief carving and colorful inlays of gold, silver, shakudo, suaka, and brass. The reverse side shows snow-covered bamboo with katakiri bori, demonstrating the maker's skillful and detailed craftsmanship.
NihontoWatchmei · Uchikoshi · Edo
Mito Hirotoshi
Edo
Hitachi
Signed
Tokuho (NBTHK)
Machibori · Hitachi · around 1670
6 pieces on the market now
Where Hirotoshi 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.
Machibori · Hitachi
80 pieces on the market now
The Mito school of sword-fitting makers emerged as an officially sponsored tradition in the domains of the Tokugawa family's Mito branch, achieving particular prominence in the late Edo period. The school's lineage traces through Shinozaki Katsushige and his successors, who served as goyō horimonoshi (official engravers) to the domain. Unlike the privately patronized workshops of Edo and Kyoto, Mito metalworkers operated within a system of domain service, producing both presentation fittings for formal occasions and richly decorated works for commission. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Katsuhira勝平 | 1804-1886 | 13 |
| Shomin勝珉 | 1844-1915 | 11 |
| Teikan貞幹 | — | 5 |
| Tomoyoshi友善 | 1716-c.1920 | 0 |
| Unno Bishu海野美秋 | — | 0 |
A Hozon-certified fitting of notably superior craftsmanship and condition, often with signature or workmanship of high reference value.
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, due to our fault, the item differs significantly from its proper condition, the item may be returned. Cooling-off is within one week of the item's arrival.
This kozuka features a Mousou design, signed by Hirotoshi of the Uchikoshi school. Made during the late Edo period, it depicts Mousou, one of the Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars, in oboro silver with intricate high-relief carving and colorful inlays of gold, silver, shakudo, suaka, and brass. The reverse side shows snow-covered bamboo with katakiri bori, demonstrating the maker's skillful and detailed craftsmanship.
NihontoWatchmei · Uchikoshi · Edo
Mito Hirotoshi
Edo
Hitachi
Signed
Tokuho (NBTHK)
Machibori · Hitachi · around 1670
6 pieces on the market now
Where Hirotoshi 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.
Machibori · Hitachi
80 pieces on the market now
The Mito school of sword-fitting makers emerged as an officially sponsored tradition in the domains of the Tokugawa family's Mito branch, achieving particular prominence in the late Edo period. The school's lineage traces through Shinozaki Katsushige and his successors, who served as goyō horimonoshi (official engravers) to the domain. Unlike the privately patronized workshops of Edo and Kyoto, Mito metalworkers operated within a system of domain service, producing both presentation fittings for formal occasions and richly decorated works for commission. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Katsuhira勝平 | 1804-1886 | 13 |
| Shomin勝珉 | 1844-1915 | 11 |
| Teikan貞幹 | — | 5 |
| Tomoyoshi友善 | 1716-c.1920 | 0 |
| Unno Bishu海野美秋 | — | 0 |
A Hozon-certified fitting of notably superior craftsmanship and condition, often with signature or workmanship of high reference value.
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, due to our fault, the item differs significantly from its proper condition, the item may be returned. Cooling-off is within one week of the item's arrival.
