Edo was the sword’s age of connoisseurship: the Hon’ami appraisers, the shogunal register of famous blades of 1719, and a thriving literature turned the sword into an object of study even as it ceased to be drawn in war.
This is a katana by Kasyu ju Fujiwara Kiyomitsu, certified as Tokubetsu Hozon by the NBTHK. The blade measures 2 shaku 4 sun 6 bu (approx. 74.54 cm) and features a torii-sori with a small gunome hamon. It comes with both a shirasaya and a complete uchigatana koshirae, and is noted as a Wazamono blade.
NihontoWatchmei · Kaga · Kanbun (1661-1673) · nagasa 74.54cm
Kaga · around 1661-1673
2 pieces on the market now
The Edo period (1615 to 1868)
Edo was the sword’s age of connoisseurship: the Hon’ami appraisers, the shogunal register of famous blades of 1719, and a thriving literature turned the sword into an object of study even as it ceased to be drawn in war.
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 siteThree-day cooling-off period from receipt for refund or exchange. Return shipping and transfer fees are customer responsibility. Items showing use or condition changes are non-returnable.
