This antique Katana sword, forged by the renowned Kyoto master Rai Yoshimichi in 1750, is certified NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon. It features a classic Kyō-yakidashi hamon transitioning into a brilliant gunome-chōji midare, enriched with deep nie and tobiyaki. The sword is preserved in an attractive Edo-period koshirae, highlighted by an elegant tsuba inlaid with the Big Dipper motif.
NihontoWatchmei · Rai Yoshimichi · Edo · nagasa 67.1cm · sori 1.1cm
Yamashiro · around 1744-1748
The Edo period (1615 to 1868)
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 accepted only for errors/damage: damaged or incorrect items reported by email within 10 calendar days; defective goods within 30 calendar days.
This antique Katana sword, forged by the renowned Kyoto master Rai Yoshimichi in 1750, is certified NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon. It features a classic Kyō-yakidashi hamon transitioning into a brilliant gunome-chōji midare, enriched with deep nie and tobiyaki. The sword is preserved in an attractive Edo-period koshirae, highlighted by an elegant tsuba inlaid with the Big Dipper motif.
NihontoWatchmei · Rai Yoshimichi · Edo · nagasa 67.1cm · sori 1.1cm
Yamashiro · around 1744-1748
The Edo period (1615 to 1868)
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 accepted only for errors/damage: damaged or incorrect items reported by email within 10 calendar days; defective goods within 30 calendar days.
