This is a long katana by Ryokai Sadayoshi, dated Tenbun 15 (1546), from the Chikushi Ryokai school which flourished in Kyushu during the Muromachi period. It features a deep sori and ample width, characteristic of the Sengoku period. The blade exhibits a tight ko-itame hada mixed with itame, showing shiroke utsuri, and a chu-suguha hamon with ko-ashi and yo.
Certificate reading — 銘 了戒貞能作 天文十五年十二月吉
NihontoWatchmei · Ryokai · Muromachi · nagasa 70cm · sori 2.8cm
Yamashiro-den · Yamashiro
14 pieces on the market now
The Ryokai school (了戒) took shape in the late-Kamakura capital of Kyoto, in Yamashiro Province, around the smith Ryokai, who worked through the era names Shoo, Einin, Kagen, Enkyo and Ocho at the turn of the fourteenth century. The old account makes him a son or a pupil of Rai Kunitoshi, and one version has him adopted into Kunitoshi's house; because his dated blades place him almost level with Kunitoshi, however, the NBTHK reads him more naturally as a contemporary (an aitedeshi, a fellow disciple) who formed his own line within the wider Rai circle. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Ryokai了戒 | 1288-1305 | 97 |
| Hisanobu久信 | 1304-1308 | 5 |
| Nobumasa信正 | 1345-1350 | 0 |
| Nobumasa信正 | 1390-1394 | 0 |
| Nobuyoshi宣能 | 1444-1449 | 0 |
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 siteDomestic: items may be returned within 7 days in original condition for a full refund (buyer covers transport). Overseas orders: no-refunds, no-returns.
This is a long katana by Ryokai Sadayoshi, dated Tenbun 15 (1546), from the Chikushi Ryokai school which flourished in Kyushu during the Muromachi period. It features a deep sori and ample width, characteristic of the Sengoku period. The blade exhibits a tight ko-itame hada mixed with itame, showing shiroke utsuri, and a chu-suguha hamon with ko-ashi and yo.
Certificate reading — 銘 了戒貞能作 天文十五年十二月吉
NihontoWatchmei · Ryokai · Muromachi · nagasa 70cm · sori 2.8cm
Yamashiro-den · Yamashiro
14 pieces on the market now
The Ryokai school (了戒) took shape in the late-Kamakura capital of Kyoto, in Yamashiro Province, around the smith Ryokai, who worked through the era names Shoo, Einin, Kagen, Enkyo and Ocho at the turn of the fourteenth century. The old account makes him a son or a pupil of Rai Kunitoshi, and one version has him adopted into Kunitoshi's house; because his dated blades place him almost level with Kunitoshi, however, the NBTHK reads him more naturally as a contemporary (an aitedeshi, a fellow disciple) who formed his own line within the wider Rai circle. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Ryokai了戒 | 1288-1305 | 97 |
| Hisanobu久信 | 1304-1308 | 5 |
| Nobumasa信正 | 1345-1350 | 0 |
| Nobumasa信正 | 1390-1394 | 0 |
| Nobuyoshi宣能 | 1444-1449 | 0 |
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 siteDomestic: items may be returned within 7 days in original condition for a full refund (buyer covers transport). Overseas orders: no-refunds, no-returns.
