It has arrived, it has arrived—the appearance of a historically precious wakizashi by the famous 8th generation master Nagamichi of Aizu, who is currently extremely popular. The 1st generation Miyoshi Nagamichi is famously known as the "Kotetsu of Aizu," renowned for being a superb wazamono with excellent sharpness and great popularity. This Nagamichi is the 8th generation, Miyoshi Toshiro Nagamichi, who was hailed as a master. This wakizashi was specially made in the 2nd year of Tenpo (1831) (193 years ago) as a commemorative piece to be passed down to the descendants of Nagamichi, honoring the glory of being ordered to forge a sword for the Aizu Daimyo Matsudaira Katamori-ko and receiving three silver pieces as a reward. The 8th generation Nagamichi held the title of Aizu Katana-kaji Toryo (Head of the Aizu Sword-smiths), and even the swordsmith Aizu 11th generation Izumi no Kami Kanesada—who is currently at the peak of popularity due to Touken Ranbu—was under Nagamichi's command. People of the world call the 8th generation Nagamichi a master. The sugata of this wakizashi shows a sharp form with a distinct difference between the moto-mihaba and saki-mihaba. The jigane is a finely packed ko-itame hada, forged into a wonderfully bright steel. The hamon is a nioi-deki with abundant ko-nie, featuring a spirited and characteristic notare-midare ba that is truly magnificent. This is a historically wonderful and precious meiwakizashi, created to convey to future generations the honor of receiving three pieces of silver as a reward for crafting a sword for the Aizu Daimyo Matsudaira Katamori-ko. Please truly enjoy this historical wakizashi.
Certificate reading — 銘 陸奥会津住三善長道 天保四癸巳年秋日 賜白銀三枚欲伝思恵於子孫 令長道造此刃
NihontoWatchEdo · nagasa 52.2cm · sori 1.5cm
Shinto · Iwashiro
4 pieces on the market now
The Aizu Miyoshi line took root in Iwashiro when the Katō house was transferred from Iyo to Aizu in Ōshū in Kan'ei 4 (1627). The setsumei trace the family back to Nagakuni, a smith who had resided at Matsuyama in Iyo Province and entered the service of Katō Yoshiaki; when his patron moved north, Nagakuni followed in the retinue, and his son, the first-generation Masanaga, relocated with him. Masanaga's eldest son, born in Aizu in Kan'ei 10 (1633), became the smith the records overwhelmingly cover: Miyoshi Nagamichi, also called Miyoshi Tōshirō. He first signed Michinaga (the Gyobutsu entries also note early signatures read Dōchō and Dōnaga), studied under his grandfather Nagakuni, and in Manji 1 to 2 (1658 to 1659) travelled to Kyoto, where he received the court title Mutsu Daijō and changed his name to Nagamichi. He died in Jōkyō 2 (1685) at the age of fifty-three. The setsumei repeatedly name him as the de facto founder of Aizu shintō, working under the patronage tied to the Aizu Matsudaira house, several of whose presentation blades entered the Imperial Collection. Across the blades the hand is consistent. The forging is itame-hada, often mixed with mokume, ō-itame, and nagare that runs toward masame, with ji-nie adhering thickly and fine chikei entering; the sugata tends to a shallow sori, called particularly shallow even among shintō work in the Gyobutsu notes.
The temper opens with a short, suguha-based yakidashi, then broadens into ko-notare mixed with gunome; in places two gunome run together as a gourd-shaped hyōtan-ba. Long ashi enter, the nioi is deep, and nie adheres thickly, sometimes coarsely as ara-nie or unevenly as mura-nie, with sunagashi and kinsuji worked into the ha and a bright nioiguchi. " The setsumei tie this manner directly to the "Hanetora" phase of Nagasone Kotetsu in Edo, the recurring point of comparison; one entry also records a tradition that Nagamichi was a disciple of Tsuda Sukehiro, though the writers hold his work closer to the Nagasone group. For kantei, the markers are the shallow sori, the hyōtan-ba pairing of gunome, the sunagashi and kinsuji over deep nioi, and the Kotetsu-type bōshi, balanced against the smith's tendency toward coarser nie. The dated blades range across Enpō 3 through Jōkyō 2 (1675 to 1685), the last corresponding to the year of his death and valued as documentary material on his final years. Cutting-test inscriptions by Yamano Kanjūrō Hisahide appear in gold inlay on several nakago. The provenance recorded is notable: blades presented by the Aizu Matsudaira family entered the Gyobutsu, and one katana is held by tradition to have been bestowed on Kondō Isami of the Shinsengumi by the Aizu lord Matsudaira Katamori in recognition of the Ikedaya Incident, later passing to the Meiji general and connoisseur Tani Tateki and thence into the Tosa Yamauchi family. The register places Nagamichi as the smith who set the Aizu shintō idiom, his line carrying the Miyoshi name in Iwashiro. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Nagamichi長道 | 1661-1685 | 10 |
| Nagamichi長道 | 1848-1868 | 0 |
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.
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 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.
¥550,000
It has arrived, it has arrived—the appearance of a historically precious wakizashi by the famous 8th generation master Nagamichi of Aizu, who is currently extremely popular. The 1st generation Miyoshi Nagamichi is famously known as the "Kotetsu of Aizu," renowned for being a superb wazamono with excellent sharpness and great popularity. This Nagamichi is the 8th generation, Miyoshi Toshiro Nagamichi, who was hailed as a master. This wakizashi was specially made in the 2nd year of Tenpo (1831) (193 years ago) as a commemorative piece to be passed down to the descendants of Nagamichi, honoring the glory of being ordered to forge a sword for the Aizu Daimyo Matsudaira Katamori-ko and receiving three silver pieces as a reward. The 8th generation Nagamichi held the title of Aizu Katana-kaji Toryo (Head of the Aizu Sword-smiths), and even the swordsmith Aizu 11th generation Izumi no Kami Kanesada—who is currently at the peak of popularity due to Touken Ranbu—was under Nagamichi's command. People of the world call the 8th generation Nagamichi a master. The sugata of this wakizashi shows a sharp form with a distinct difference between the moto-mihaba and saki-mihaba. The jigane is a finely packed ko-itame hada, forged into a wonderfully bright steel. The hamon is a nioi-deki with abundant ko-nie, featuring a spirited and characteristic notare-midare ba that is truly magnificent. This is a historically wonderful and precious meiwakizashi, created to convey to future generations the honor of receiving three pieces of silver as a reward for crafting a sword for the Aizu Daimyo Matsudaira Katamori-ko. Please truly enjoy this historical wakizashi.
Certificate reading — 銘 陸奥会津住三善長道 天保四癸巳年秋日 賜白銀三枚欲伝思恵於子孫 令長道造此刃
NihontoWatchEdo · nagasa 52.2cm · sori 1.5cm
Shinto · Iwashiro
4 pieces on the market now
The Aizu Miyoshi line took root in Iwashiro when the Katō house was transferred from Iyo to Aizu in Ōshū in Kan'ei 4 (1627). The setsumei trace the family back to Nagakuni, a smith who had resided at Matsuyama in Iyo Province and entered the service of Katō Yoshiaki; when his patron moved north, Nagakuni followed in the retinue, and his son, the first-generation Masanaga, relocated with him. Masanaga's eldest son, born in Aizu in Kan'ei 10 (1633), became the smith the records overwhelmingly cover: Miyoshi Nagamichi, also called Miyoshi Tōshirō. He first signed Michinaga (the Gyobutsu entries also note early signatures read Dōchō and Dōnaga), studied under his grandfather Nagakuni, and in Manji 1 to 2 (1658 to 1659) travelled to Kyoto, where he received the court title Mutsu Daijō and changed his name to Nagamichi. He died in Jōkyō 2 (1685) at the age of fifty-three. The setsumei repeatedly name him as the de facto founder of Aizu shintō, working under the patronage tied to the Aizu Matsudaira house, several of whose presentation blades entered the Imperial Collection. Across the blades the hand is consistent. The forging is itame-hada, often mixed with mokume, ō-itame, and nagare that runs toward masame, with ji-nie adhering thickly and fine chikei entering; the sugata tends to a shallow sori, called particularly shallow even among shintō work in the Gyobutsu notes.
The temper opens with a short, suguha-based yakidashi, then broadens into ko-notare mixed with gunome; in places two gunome run together as a gourd-shaped hyōtan-ba. Long ashi enter, the nioi is deep, and nie adheres thickly, sometimes coarsely as ara-nie or unevenly as mura-nie, with sunagashi and kinsuji worked into the ha and a bright nioiguchi. " The setsumei tie this manner directly to the "Hanetora" phase of Nagasone Kotetsu in Edo, the recurring point of comparison; one entry also records a tradition that Nagamichi was a disciple of Tsuda Sukehiro, though the writers hold his work closer to the Nagasone group. For kantei, the markers are the shallow sori, the hyōtan-ba pairing of gunome, the sunagashi and kinsuji over deep nioi, and the Kotetsu-type bōshi, balanced against the smith's tendency toward coarser nie. The dated blades range across Enpō 3 through Jōkyō 2 (1675 to 1685), the last corresponding to the year of his death and valued as documentary material on his final years. Cutting-test inscriptions by Yamano Kanjūrō Hisahide appear in gold inlay on several nakago. The provenance recorded is notable: blades presented by the Aizu Matsudaira family entered the Gyobutsu, and one katana is held by tradition to have been bestowed on Kondō Isami of the Shinsengumi by the Aizu lord Matsudaira Katamori in recognition of the Ikedaya Incident, later passing to the Meiji general and connoisseur Tani Tateki and thence into the Tosa Yamauchi family. The register places Nagamichi as the smith who set the Aizu shintō idiom, his line carrying the Miyoshi name in Iwashiro. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Nagamichi長道 | 1661-1685 | 10 |
| Nagamichi長道 | 1848-1868 | 0 |
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.
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 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.
¥550,000
