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.
This katana is signed by Izu no Kami Masafusa, a smith from Satsuma province active in the early Edo period (Shoho 2, 1645). It features a robust form with a wide mihaba and thick kasane, showcasing a well-forged jitetsu with rich nie and nioi. The hamon is a tranquil suguha with small gunome and ko-ashi, exhibiting an old-style charm reminiscent of Horikawa Kunihiro.
NihontoWatchmei · Shinto · nagasa 75cm · sori 1.61cm
Satsuma · around 1596-1781
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 siteIf, due to our fault, the item differs significantly from its proper condition, the item may be returned. Cooling-off is within one week of the item's arrival.
This katana is signed by Izu no Kami Masafusa, a smith from Satsuma province active in the early Edo period (Shoho 2, 1645). It features a robust form with a wide mihaba and thick kasane, showcasing a well-forged jitetsu with rich nie and nioi. The hamon is a tranquil suguha with small gunome and ko-ashi, exhibiting an old-style charm reminiscent of Horikawa Kunihiro.
NihontoWatchmei · Shinto · nagasa 75cm · sori 1.61cm
Satsuma · around 1596-1781
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 siteIf, due to our fault, the item differs significantly from its proper condition, the item may be returned. Cooling-off is within one week of the item's arrival.
