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.
Blade only weight: 802g Tosho Yoshihara Kuniie is incredibly famous in the sword world. In the famous movie "The Last Samurai," he appeared in the role of a swordsmith, delivering a wonderful performance alongside Tom Cruise and Hiroyuki Sanada—who recently achieved the feat of sweeping the Emmy Awards for the American TV drama "Shogun." Tosho Yoshihara Kuniie was born in Showa 20 (1945) and resides in Katsushika Ward, Tokyo. He is the younger brother (by one year) of the famous tosho Yoshihara Yoshindo; at age 12, he entered apprenticeship under his grandfather, the first generation Kuniie, even earlier than his brother Yoshindo. He was designated an Intangible Cultural Property of Tokyo and was appointed as a Mukansa tosho in Showa 57 (1982) at the age of 37. He has won the Agency for Cultural Affairs Commissioner's Award three times, the Chairman's Award twice, the Kunzan Award, the Kanzan Award, and numerous other special prizes. He is a representative master smith of the modern era. This katana is a representative work from Showa 62 (1987), when Kuniie was in the prime of his vigor at age 42 (having changed his name from Shoji to the third generation Kuniie in Showa 57). The tachi "O-Denta Mitsuyo" is an ancient, famous tachi bestowed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi to Maeda Toshiie. The Heian period swordsmith Miike Denta Mitsuyo, who forged the O-Denta Mitsuyo, was said to possess such high forging skills that he breathed a soul into his Japanese swords, and anecdotes remain of the blades exhibiting wonderful spiritual power. Since ancient times, it has been listed as one of the Tenka-Goken (Five Swords Under Heaven) and is a National Treasure designated masterpiece. This tachi is in shinogi-zukuri with a maru-mune, featuring a wide mihaba with funbari, and the kissaki is an ikubi-kissaki. On both sides, a wide bo-hi and soe-hi are carved (kakinagashi). The jigane is a finely packed itame-hada with ji-nie. The hamon is a konie-deki suguha with a yaki-otoshi at the moto. The nakago has a curved shape, brilliantly recreating the National Treasure O-Denta Mitsuyo tachi. Tosho Kuniie is a master smith who served in the important post of Chairman of the All Japan Swordsmith Association. We are offering this at a special bargain price; please enjoy it.
NihontoWatchShowa (1926-1989) · nagasa 66.4cm · sori 2.6cm
Tokyo · around 1926-1989
5 pieces on the market now
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.
We could not find an authenticity certificate on the seller’s listing. Japanese swords and fittings are normally papered by the NBTHK (or the NTHK). Without one, the attribution is the seller’s own assessment and has not been independently verified — treat it with caution and ask the dealer about certification before buying.
For 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.
Price on request
