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.
NihontoWatchNihontoWatchThis historically significant katana was forged by the 1st generation Kunitsuna of the Echizen-Shimosaka school during the Keian era (1648-1652). It features a rare gold-inlaid kinzogan-mei documenting a live cutting test (tameshigiri) where a tester named Sen’a severed a criminal's body with two single strokes. The blade also boasts an inscription indicating it was forged from oroshigane, steel prepared by the smith himself, and comes with an Edo period koshirae with Tsugaru-nuri saya and NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon certification.
NihontoWatchOffered by Unique Japan
Echizen · around 1648-1652
Fujishiro Chu-jo saku · Tōken Taikan top 76%
1 piece 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 siteAll swords come with a three-day inspection period beginning from the date of delivery. If not satisfied, the sword may be returned within this period for a full refund of the purchase price. Outside of this period, all sales are final. Swords purchased on a layaway payment plan are not eligible for the three-day inspection period.