After the Ōnin War broke the Ashikaga order, a century of Sengoku warfare armed nearly every province in Japan. The era rewards a discriminating eye: routine work exists in quantity, and beside it stand custom blades of the first rank.
This is a tantō attributed to Yamamura Yasunobu, an active swordsmith during the Ōei period (1394-1428) from the Yamamura school of Echigo province. It features a unique blackened dragon horimono with gold highlights and a crisply carved Sanskrit character invoking Fudō Myōō. The blade is accompanied by a fine set of koshirae with a harvest theme, signed by Toshitaka, and a kozuka signed by Ishiguro Masayoshi (gimei).
NihontoWatchmumei · Yamamura · Muromachi · nagasa 28.8cm
Echigo · around 1394-1428
Fujishiro Jo saku · Tōken Taikan top 49%
1 piece on the market now
After the Ōnin War broke the Ashikaga order, a century of Sengoku warfare armed nearly every province in Japan. The era rewards a discriminating eye: routine work exists in quantity, and beside it stand custom blades of the first rank.
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 siteReturns accepted on items ordered from the site when an item does not appear to be as depicted and described; buyer must notify via email within 7 days of receipt. Refund covers purchase price minus shipping, bank fees, and currency conversion. Sales on items paid in terms are final, as are sales of items personally inspected.
This is a tantō attributed to Yamamura Yasunobu, an active swordsmith during the Ōei period (1394-1428) from the Yamamura school of Echigo province. It features a unique blackened dragon horimono with gold highlights and a crisply carved Sanskrit character invoking Fudō Myōō. The blade is accompanied by a fine set of koshirae with a harvest theme, signed by Toshitaka, and a kozuka signed by Ishiguro Masayoshi (gimei).
NihontoWatchmumei · Yamamura · Muromachi · nagasa 28.8cm
Echigo · around 1394-1428
Fujishiro Jo saku · Tōken Taikan top 49%
1 piece on the market now
After the Ōnin War broke the Ashikaga order, a century of Sengoku warfare armed nearly every province in Japan. The era rewards a discriminating eye: routine work exists in quantity, and beside it stand custom blades of the first rank.
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 siteReturns accepted on items ordered from the site when an item does not appear to be as depicted and described; buyer must notify via email within 7 days of receipt. Refund covers purchase price minus shipping, bank fees, and currency conversion. Sales on items paid in terms are final, as are sales of items personally inspected.
