After the Ōnin War broke the Ashikaga order, a century of Sengoku warfare armed nearly every province in Japan. The era rewards a discriminating eye: routine work exists in quantity, and beside it stand custom blades of the first rank.
This is a rare tanto of museum quality, signed Yoshimitsu from the mid-Muromachi period, likely the work of the 6th generation active in the 1470s AD. It is a yoroi-doshi (armor piercer) in thickness. The koshirae features an intricately detailed silver snake wrapping around a fallen tree, with gold overlay of vines, and large silver dragonflies on the nakago, possibly hunting a lacquered butterfly on the tsuka.
NihontoWatchmei · Muromachi · nagasa 18.2cm
Tosa · around 1528-1532
Tōken Taikan top 21%
2 pieces on the market now
The Muromachi period (1392 to 1573)
After the Ōnin War broke the Ashikaga order, a century of Sengoku warfare armed nearly every province in Japan. The era rewards a discriminating eye: routine work exists in quantity, and beside it stand custom blades of the first 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 siteIf the item fails to meet the description, it may be eligible for a return (at the seller's discretion). Item(s) must be shipped back only via FedEx or UPS within 48 hours of receipt, in original undamaged state. Costs are the purchaser's responsibility.
This is a rare tanto of museum quality, signed Yoshimitsu from the mid-Muromachi period, likely the work of the 6th generation active in the 1470s AD. It is a yoroi-doshi (armor piercer) in thickness. The koshirae features an intricately detailed silver snake wrapping around a fallen tree, with gold overlay of vines, and large silver dragonflies on the nakago, possibly hunting a lacquered butterfly on the tsuka.
NihontoWatchmei · Muromachi · nagasa 18.2cm
Tosa · around 1528-1532
Tōken Taikan top 21%
2 pieces on the market now
The Muromachi period (1392 to 1573)
After the Ōnin War broke the Ashikaga order, a century of Sengoku warfare armed nearly every province in Japan. The era rewards a discriminating eye: routine work exists in quantity, and beside it stand custom blades of the first 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 siteIf the item fails to meet the description, it may be eligible for a return (at the seller's discretion). Item(s) must be shipped back only via FedEx or UPS within 48 hours of receipt, in original undamaged state. Costs are the purchaser's responsibility.
