The Haitōrei edict of 1876 ended sword wearing and nearly ended the craft itself. Military demand and imperial patronage kept a remnant alive, and in 1906 Gassan Sadakazu and Miyamoto Kanenori were named Artists to the Imperial Household.
This katana is signed Yamagami Harima no Kami Fujiwara Kunihisa, a Shin-Shinto smith from Bungo province active around the Tenpo era. It features a tight sugata with a restrained sori, and a choji midare hamon with ko-nie. The blade is accompanied by an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon certificate, with approval scheduled for March 2026.
NihontoWatchmei · Shin-shinto · nagasa 70.9cm · sori 1.2cm
Bungo · around 1868-1912
Tōken Taikan top 100%
1 piece on the market now
The Haitōrei edict of 1876 ended sword wearing and nearly ended the craft itself. Military demand and imperial patronage kept a remnant alive, and in 1906 Gassan Sadakazu and Miyamoto Kanenori were named Artists to the Imperial Household.
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 katana is signed Yamagami Harima no Kami Fujiwara Kunihisa, a Shin-Shinto smith from Bungo province active around the Tenpo era. It features a tight sugata with a restrained sori, and a choji midare hamon with ko-nie. The blade is accompanied by an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon certificate, with approval scheduled for March 2026.
NihontoWatchmei · Shin-shinto · nagasa 70.9cm · sori 1.2cm
Bungo · around 1868-1912
Tōken Taikan top 100%
1 piece on the market now
The Haitōrei edict of 1876 ended sword wearing and nearly ended the craft itself. Military demand and imperial patronage kept a remnant alive, and in 1906 Gassan Sadakazu and Miyamoto Kanenori were named Artists to the Imperial Household.
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.
