This antique Japanese Katana is signed by Hokuetsu Kouyo Jyu Minamoto Masakage, forged in May 1864 during the late Edo period. Masakage, born Goshima Koisuke in Etchu province, was a member of the Yamaura school and learned from renowned smiths like Minamoto Masao and Suishinshi Masatsugu. The blade is appraised as a Tokubetsu Hozon Token by the NBTHK, indicating its authenticity, preservation, and artistic value.
NihontoWatchmei · Yamaura · Bunkyu (1861-1864) · nagasa 75.75cm · sori 1.8cm
Echigo · around 1861-1864
Tōken Taikan top 97%
4 pieces on the market now
Under the Tokugawa peace the daishō became a regulated uniform, and demand gathered in the castle towns, above all Edo itself. The craft split two ways: brilliant display work for connoisseurs, and tested blades whose cutting results were sometimes inlaid in gold.
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 Hokuetsu Kouyo Jyu Minamoto Masakage, forged in May 1864 during the late Edo period. Masakage, born Goshima Koisuke in Etchu province, was a member of the Yamaura school and learned from renowned smiths like Minamoto Masao and Suishinshi Masatsugu. The blade is appraised as a Tokubetsu Hozon Token by the NBTHK, indicating its authenticity, preservation, and artistic value.
NihontoWatchmei · Yamaura · Bunkyu (1861-1864) · nagasa 75.75cm · sori 1.8cm
Echigo · around 1861-1864
Tōken Taikan top 97%
4 pieces on the market now
Under the Tokugawa peace the daishō became a regulated uniform, and demand gathered in the castle towns, above all Edo itself. The craft split two ways: brilliant display work for connoisseurs, and tested blades whose cutting results were sometimes inlaid in gold.
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.
