This is a katana made by Hojoji Tajima no Kami Tachibana Kunimasa during the Shinto period (approx. 350 years ago). The blade features a notare-based hamon with frequent ashi and deep nioi. It has been certified as Tokubetsu Hozon by the NBTHK.
Certificate reading — 銘 法城寺但馬守国正
mei · Hojoji · Enpo (1673-1681) · nagasa 52.8cm · sori 1.3cm















Soshu-den · Tajima
20 pieces on the market now
The Hojoji name (法城寺) begins as a place in Tajima province, where, the published sources relate, the Nanbokucho naginata master Kunimitsu lived at that spot and so took the place for his name, the man and the locality becoming one. The Meikan records a first generation of this Kunimitsu working in the Joji era (1362-68) and a second at Oei, the koto root from which the line descends. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Kunimitsu國光 | 1345-1350 | 22 |
| Masahiro正弘 | 1658-1671 | 26 |
| Sadakuni貞國 | 1658-1673 | 8 |
| Yoshitsugu吉次 | 1661-1673 | 6 |
| Masateru正照 | 1684-1688 | 5 |
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 siteWe accept returns within 3 days counted from the item's arrival date. Items that have been altered cannot be handled. Return shipping is the customer's responsibility. If the destination is overseas, returns are as a rule not possible.
This is a katana made by Hojoji Tajima no Kami Tachibana Kunimasa during the Shinto period (approx. 350 years ago). The blade features a notare-based hamon with frequent ashi and deep nioi. It has been certified as Tokubetsu Hozon by the NBTHK.
Certificate reading — 銘 法城寺但馬守国正
mei · Hojoji · Enpo (1673-1681) · nagasa 52.8cm · sori 1.3cm















Soshu-den · Tajima
20 pieces on the market now
The Hojoji name (法城寺) begins as a place in Tajima province, where, the published sources relate, the Nanbokucho naginata master Kunimitsu lived at that spot and so took the place for his name, the man and the locality becoming one. The Meikan records a first generation of this Kunimitsu working in the Joji era (1362-68) and a second at Oei, the koto root from which the line descends. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Kunimitsu國光 | 1345-1350 | 22 |
| Masahiro正弘 | 1658-1671 | 26 |
| Sadakuni貞國 | 1658-1673 | 8 |
| Yoshitsugu吉次 | 1661-1673 | 6 |
| Masateru正照 | 1684-1688 | 5 |
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 siteWe accept returns within 3 days counted from the item's arrival date. Items that have been altered cannot be handled. Return shipping is the customer's responsibility. If the destination is overseas, returns are as a rule not possible.