The craft survived the Meiji ban and the occupation’s near-extinction, and rebuilt itself deliberately: licensed forging from 1953, traditional methods required by law, Living National Treasures, and the mukansa rank above judgment.
This is a katana made by Ikkansai Shigetsugu in the Taisho era. The blade features a carving of a dragon, a sword, and a dokko. It has a well-forged ko-itame hada and a nie-based hamon with choji-midare and gunome-midare.
NihontoWatchmei · Taisho · nagasa 66.5cm · sori 2cm
Tokyo · around 1912-1926
Tōken Taikan top 63%
4 pieces on the market now
The craft survived the Meiji ban and the occupation’s near-extinction, and rebuilt itself deliberately: licensed forging from 1953, traditional methods required by law, Living National Treasures, and the mukansa rank above judgment.
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 siteIf you wish to return an item, please notify us within 3 days of receipt. After this period we cannot accept cancellations. Please ship the return to us within 5 business days. Cancellation is conditional on the item being kept in the same condition as at the time of sale, so please handle it with care.
This is a katana made by Ikkansai Shigetsugu in the Taisho era. The blade features a carving of a dragon, a sword, and a dokko. It has a well-forged ko-itame hada and a nie-based hamon with choji-midare and gunome-midare.
NihontoWatchmei · Taisho · nagasa 66.5cm · sori 2cm
Tokyo · around 1912-1926
Tōken Taikan top 63%
4 pieces on the market now
The craft survived the Meiji ban and the occupation’s near-extinction, and rebuilt itself deliberately: licensed forging from 1953, traditional methods required by law, Living National Treasures, and the mukansa rank above judgment.
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 siteIf you wish to return an item, please notify us within 3 days of receipt. After this period we cannot accept cancellations. Please ship the return to us within 5 business days. Cancellation is conditional on the item being kept in the same condition as at the time of sale, so please handle it with care.
