Edo was the sword’s age of connoisseurship: the Hon’ami appraisers, the shogunal register of famous blades of 1719, and a thriving literature turned the sword into an object of study even as it ceased to be drawn in war.
NihontoWatchNihontoWatchAccording to the directory, Chokaimaro Masamine is listed as "Student of Gassan Kunitoshi. Moved from Tokyo to Hokkaido during the Meiji era. Keio. Dewa." While details remain unclear due to a lack of reference materials for the smith himself or Gassan Kunitoshi, the nakago tailoring resembles that of Ikeda Kazuhide, suggesting he may have studied under or been influenced by the same smith. This work has a fearless shinogi-zukuri sugata with a wide mihaba, thick kasane, and an extended kissaki. The jigane is ko-itame with jinie and chikei. The hamon is ko-choji midare with konie and kinsuji. With its superbly finished nakago, this is likely a masterpiece by Chokaimaro Masamine. Passed the 2013 Hozon Token shinsa.
Certificate reading — 銘 鳥海麿正峯（出羽） 慶応二年三月日 （梵字）
NihontoWatchOffered by Touken Matsumoto
As written by the shop
Machine translation from the shop's Japanese · may contain errors ·
Dewa · around 1844-1848
1 piece on the market now
The Edo period (1615 to 1868)
Edo was the sword’s age of connoisseurship: the Hon’ami appraisers, the shogunal register of famous blades of 1719, and a thriving literature turned the sword into an object of study even as it ceased to be drawn in war.
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 siteReturns within 7 days of the item's arrival. Returns are not possible if (1) the item has been altered, or (2) for overseas transactions.
¥450,000