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 Katana, forged by Gassan Sadakatsu in November 1935, features the distinctive Ayasugi-hada (wood grain pattern) characteristic of the Gassan school. It is a special order piece commemorating the birth of Prince Hitachi, Masahito, and comes with an NBTHK Hozon certificate and a handwritten box inscription by the smith himself. The blade exhibits a vibrant jigane with thick nie and chikei, and a hamon with fine suguha mixed with ko-gunome, niju-ba, kinsuji, and sunagashi.
NihontoWatchmei · Gassan · Showa (1926-1989) · nagasa 67.8cm · sori 1.9cm
Shinshinto · Osaka · around 1926-1989
Fujishiro Jo saku · Tōken Taikan top 60%
14 pieces on the market now
Shinshinto · Settsu
42 pieces on the market now
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Sadaharu貞晴 | 1865-1868 | 0 |
| Sadayoshi貞吉 | 1926-1989 | 0 |
| Yoshiaki吉明 | 1844-1848 | 0 |
| Naonobu直信 | 1854-1860 | 0 |
| Sadayoshi貞吉 | 1830-1863 | 0 |
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.
Certifies a genuine blade worth preserving: a signature confirmed correct, or, if unsigned, an era, province, and school that the NBTHK can reliably identify.
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 Katana, forged by Gassan Sadakatsu in November 1935, features the distinctive Ayasugi-hada (wood grain pattern) characteristic of the Gassan school. It is a special order piece commemorating the birth of Prince Hitachi, Masahito, and comes with an NBTHK Hozon certificate and a handwritten box inscription by the smith himself. The blade exhibits a vibrant jigane with thick nie and chikei, and a hamon with fine suguha mixed with ko-gunome, niju-ba, kinsuji, and sunagashi.
NihontoWatchmei · Gassan · Showa (1926-1989) · nagasa 67.8cm · sori 1.9cm
Shinshinto · Osaka · around 1926-1989
Fujishiro Jo saku · Tōken Taikan top 60%
14 pieces on the market now
Shinshinto · Settsu
42 pieces on the market now
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Sadaharu貞晴 | 1865-1868 | 0 |
| Sadayoshi貞吉 | 1926-1989 | 0 |
| Yoshiaki吉明 | 1844-1848 | 0 |
| Naonobu直信 | 1854-1860 | 0 |
| Sadayoshi貞吉 | 1830-1863 | 0 |
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.
Certifies a genuine blade worth preserving: a signature confirmed correct, or, if unsigned, an era, province, and school that the NBTHK can reliably identify.
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%2F02.jpg&w=2560&q=90)