This is a fine wakizashi by the 3rd generation Hoki no Kami Nobutaka, active during the Enpo period (1673-1681). The blade is signed and comes with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon and Koshu Tokubetsu Kicho papers. It features a nie-deki suguha hamon with notare and gunome, and an itame mixed with mokume kitae.
NihontoWatchmei · Owari · Enpo (1673-1681) · nagasa 54.6cm · sori 1.2cm
Mino-den · Owari · around 1673-1681
Fujishiro Jo saku · Tōken Taikan top 49%
3 pieces on the market now
Where Nobutaka 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.
Mino-den · Mino
9 pieces on the market now
The San'ami line takes its root in Mino Province, where its head smith Kanenori (兼則) worked as one of the so-called Seki Seven Schools. The setsumei place Kanenori from the close of the Nanbokuchō period into the Ōei era of the early Muromachi, alongside Kanemoto and Kanesada among the representative hands of Sue-Seki, and the earliest extant signed tachi of his is appraised as no later than Ōei. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Nobutaka信高 | 1581-1615 | 3 |
| Kanekuni兼國 | 1455-1457 | 1 |
| Kanenori兼則 | 1370-1372 | 1 |
| Nobutaka信高 | 1624-1644 | 1 |
| Nobutaka信高 | 1673-1681 | 1 |
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 site3 day inspection period on all sales. Items can be returned for any reason for a full refund, less return shipping cost. Returned items must be in the same condition as when purchased.
This is a fine wakizashi by the 3rd generation Hoki no Kami Nobutaka, active during the Enpo period (1673-1681). The blade is signed and comes with NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon and Koshu Tokubetsu Kicho papers. It features a nie-deki suguha hamon with notare and gunome, and an itame mixed with mokume kitae.
NihontoWatchmei · Owari · Enpo (1673-1681) · nagasa 54.6cm · sori 1.2cm
Mino-den · Owari · around 1673-1681
Fujishiro Jo saku · Tōken Taikan top 49%
3 pieces on the market now
Where Nobutaka 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.
Mino-den · Mino
9 pieces on the market now
The San'ami line takes its root in Mino Province, where its head smith Kanenori (兼則) worked as one of the so-called Seki Seven Schools. The setsumei place Kanenori from the close of the Nanbokuchō period into the Ōei era of the early Muromachi, alongside Kanemoto and Kanesada among the representative hands of Sue-Seki, and the earliest extant signed tachi of his is appraised as no later than Ōei. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Nobutaka信高 | 1581-1615 | 3 |
| Kanekuni兼國 | 1455-1457 | 1 |
| Kanenori兼則 | 1370-1372 | 1 |
| Nobutaka信高 | 1624-1644 | 1 |
| Nobutaka信高 | 1673-1681 | 1 |
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 site3 day inspection period on all sales. Items can be returned for any reason for a full refund, less return shipping cost. Returned items must be in the same condition as when purchased.
