The phantom cherished sword of Sakamoto Ryoma, a Mutsu no Kami Yoshiyuki, has been discovered. Having successfully brokered the Satcho Alliance and proposed the Taiseihokan, the Bakumatsu patriot Sakamoto Ryoma has long been the number one most popular hero of the Bakumatsu period. Unfortunately, in the third year of Keio (1867) (151 years ago), he was assassinated alongside Nakaoka Shintaro at the Omiya in Kyoto. At that time, the sword Ryoma held as his cherished blade until the very end was the famous Mutsu no Kami Yoshiyuki. Yoshiyuki’s real name was Morishita Heisuke, and he was the younger brother of Kozuke no Kami Yoshikuni. His home province was Nakamura in Oshu. Along with his father and elder brother, he went to Osaka and entered the school of Yamato no Kami Yoshimichi; later, he became a retained smith for the Tosa Domain and moved to Kochi. As for this katana, the sugata exhibits a wonderful and excellent form with a somewhat deep sori. The jigane is a well-tightened itame-hada, forged into a bright and powerful steel. The hamon is a gunome-midare in nioi with abundant nie, interspersed with kinsuji, firing a magnificent and highly spirited edge. Because Yoshiyuki was a Tosa Domain smith, the sword was likely passed down through the Sakamoto family of Tosa origin. Despite being famous since ancient times as the cherished sword of Sakamoto Ryoma, extant works are extremely few, making it rare to see a piece by Yoshiyuki; thus, this katana is highly precious. As this is the first time it has appeared raw and fresh before the world, please by all means enjoy this phantom cherished sword of Sakamoto Ryoma, a katana by Mutsu no Kami Yoshiyuki.
NihontoWatchKanbun (1661-1673) · nagasa 67.9cm · sori 1.8cm
Tosa · around 1661-1673
Tōken Taikan top 60%
3 pieces on the market now
Where Yoshiyuki stands among comparable artisans: across all of nihontō, and within tradition, era, and period. The tiers (Foremost · Leading · Major · Notable) weigh official designations from the NBTHK and Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs, together with historical honors of lasting repute such as the Sansaku and Meibutsu-chō.
Select a lens to see how it's measured.
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 siteFor returns due to customer circumstances, the cost is the customer's responsibility. For returns due to our mis-shipment or a defective item, we bear the cost.
The phantom cherished sword of Sakamoto Ryoma, a Mutsu no Kami Yoshiyuki, has been discovered. Having successfully brokered the Satcho Alliance and proposed the Taiseihokan, the Bakumatsu patriot Sakamoto Ryoma has long been the number one most popular hero of the Bakumatsu period. Unfortunately, in the third year of Keio (1867) (151 years ago), he was assassinated alongside Nakaoka Shintaro at the Omiya in Kyoto. At that time, the sword Ryoma held as his cherished blade until the very end was the famous Mutsu no Kami Yoshiyuki. Yoshiyuki’s real name was Morishita Heisuke, and he was the younger brother of Kozuke no Kami Yoshikuni. His home province was Nakamura in Oshu. Along with his father and elder brother, he went to Osaka and entered the school of Yamato no Kami Yoshimichi; later, he became a retained smith for the Tosa Domain and moved to Kochi. As for this katana, the sugata exhibits a wonderful and excellent form with a somewhat deep sori. The jigane is a well-tightened itame-hada, forged into a bright and powerful steel. The hamon is a gunome-midare in nioi with abundant nie, interspersed with kinsuji, firing a magnificent and highly spirited edge. Because Yoshiyuki was a Tosa Domain smith, the sword was likely passed down through the Sakamoto family of Tosa origin. Despite being famous since ancient times as the cherished sword of Sakamoto Ryoma, extant works are extremely few, making it rare to see a piece by Yoshiyuki; thus, this katana is highly precious. As this is the first time it has appeared raw and fresh before the world, please by all means enjoy this phantom cherished sword of Sakamoto Ryoma, a katana by Mutsu no Kami Yoshiyuki.
NihontoWatchKanbun (1661-1673) · nagasa 67.9cm · sori 1.8cm
Tosa · around 1661-1673
Tōken Taikan top 60%
3 pieces on the market now
Where Yoshiyuki stands among comparable artisans: across all of nihontō, and within tradition, era, and period. The tiers (Foremost · Leading · Major · Notable) weigh official designations from the NBTHK and Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs, together with historical honors of lasting repute such as the Sansaku and Meibutsu-chō.
Select a lens to see how it's measured.
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 siteFor returns due to customer circumstances, the cost is the customer's responsibility. For returns due to our mis-shipment or a defective item, we bear the cost.
