The twentieth century nearly killed the craft twice: wartime distortion, then the occupation ban. The NBTHK’s founding in 1948 and licensed forging from 1953 rebuilt the sword as an art, crowned by Living National Treasures and the mukansa rank.
This is a magnificent Katana by Izunokuni Tatsuyoshi, born in 1951 as Eiichiro Enomoto, who was a student of Suishinshi Sadakichi. This impressive blade, measuring 102.7cm, is a special order dedication O-dachi made in 1988 when the smith was 37 years old. It features a well-forged jitetsu with a mix of ko-itame, itame, and mokume, and a vibrant hamon of gunome mixed with ko-gunome, notare, and ko-midare, showing active nie and kinsuji.
NihontoWatchmei · Showa (1926-1989) · nagasa 102.7cm · sori 4cm
Shinshinto · Shizuoka · around 1926-1989
2 pieces on the market now
Shinshinto · Settsu
37 pieces on the market now
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Sadakazu貞一 | 1864-1865 | 2 |
| Sadaharu貞晴 | 1865-1868 | 0 |
| Sadayoshi貞吉 | 1926-1989 | 0 |
| Yoshiaki吉明 | 1844-1848 | 0 |
| Sadayoshi貞吉 | 1830-1863 | 0 |
Shōwa to the present: destruction and revival
The twentieth century nearly killed the craft twice: wartime distortion, then the occupation ban. The NBTHK’s founding in 1948 and licensed forging from 1953 rebuilt the sword as an art, crowned by Living National Treasures and the mukansa rank.
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 siteFor one-of-a-kind items such as swords, sword fittings, and antiques, please contact us about a return within 3 days of the item's arrival and ship it back within 8 days. Refunds are issued the same day the returned item arrives.
This is a magnificent Katana by Izunokuni Tatsuyoshi, born in 1951 as Eiichiro Enomoto, who was a student of Suishinshi Sadakichi. This impressive blade, measuring 102.7cm, is a special order dedication O-dachi made in 1988 when the smith was 37 years old. It features a well-forged jitetsu with a mix of ko-itame, itame, and mokume, and a vibrant hamon of gunome mixed with ko-gunome, notare, and ko-midare, showing active nie and kinsuji.
NihontoWatchmei · Showa (1926-1989) · nagasa 102.7cm · sori 4cm
Shinshinto · Shizuoka · around 1926-1989
2 pieces on the market now
Shinshinto · Settsu
37 pieces on the market now
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Sadakazu貞一 | 1864-1865 | 2 |
| Sadaharu貞晴 | 1865-1868 | 0 |
| Sadayoshi貞吉 | 1926-1989 | 0 |
| Yoshiaki吉明 | 1844-1848 | 0 |
| Sadayoshi貞吉 | 1830-1863 | 0 |
Shōwa to the present: destruction and revival
The twentieth century nearly killed the craft twice: wartime distortion, then the occupation ban. The NBTHK’s founding in 1948 and licensed forging from 1953 rebuilt the sword as an art, crowned by Living National Treasures and the mukansa rank.
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 siteFor one-of-a-kind items such as swords, sword fittings, and antiques, please contact us about a return within 3 days of the item's arrival and ship it back within 8 days. Refunds are issued the same day the returned item arrives.
![Tanto - Hozon - by Gassan Sadayoshi - Fuyou Asahi, Ansei Hebidoshi 8gatsuhi (Attributed to Gassan Sadayoshi) [NBTHK Hozon]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fitbhfhyptogxcjbjfzwx.supabase.co%2Fstorage%2Fv1%2Fobject%2Fpublic%2Flisting-images%2Ftoyuukai%2FL519985%2F04.jpg&w=2560&q=90)
