This antique Japanese katana is signed by Sagami no Kami Kunimasa, an active swordsmith during the Kanbun era (1661-1673) of the early Edo period. He was a disciple of the second-gen Tanba no Kami Yoshimichi of the prestigious Mishina school in Osaka. The blade comes with an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Certificate, shirasaya, and koshirae, and features a silver inlay (Ginzogan) on the tang indicating its excellent cutting ability.
NihontoWatchmei · Mishina · Kanbun (1661-1673) · nagasa 63cm · sori 1.4cm
Iyo · around 1661-1673
Tōken Taikan top 63%
2 pieces on the market now
For two and a half centuries of peace the sword was the warrior’s legal badge rather than his weapon. Each great city developed its own manner, Edo’s tested strength against Ōsaka’s polished brilliance, until demand thinned in the era’s last decades.
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 siteReturns/exchanges limited to defects caused by shipping (except willful misconduct or gross negligence by the company); customers must contact within 72 hours of receiving the product.
This antique Japanese katana is signed by Sagami no Kami Kunimasa, an active swordsmith during the Kanbun era (1661-1673) of the early Edo period. He was a disciple of the second-gen Tanba no Kami Yoshimichi of the prestigious Mishina school in Osaka. The blade comes with an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Certificate, shirasaya, and koshirae, and features a silver inlay (Ginzogan) on the tang indicating its excellent cutting ability.
NihontoWatchmei · Mishina · Kanbun (1661-1673) · nagasa 63cm · sori 1.4cm
Iyo · around 1661-1673
Tōken Taikan top 63%
2 pieces on the market now
For two and a half centuries of peace the sword was the warrior’s legal badge rather than his weapon. Each great city developed its own manner, Edo’s tested strength against Ōsaka’s polished brilliance, until demand thinned in the era’s last decades.
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 siteReturns/exchanges limited to defects caused by shipping (except willful misconduct or gross negligence by the company); customers must contact within 72 hours of receiving the product.
