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.
This is a katana by Shimousadaijo Fujiwara Kanemasa, who was also known as Hattori Kichibei and was the 5th generation grandson of Seki Kanenori. He worked in Echizen, Edo, and Hikone. The blade is newly polished and in excellent condition, accompanied by NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers.
mei · Edo · nagasa 64.6cm · sori 0.7cm






Echizen · around 1661-1673
Fujishiro Chu-jo saku · Tōken Taikan top 76%
3 pieces 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.
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 possible within 3 days of arrival. Customer pays return shipping and bank transfer fees. Excluded: condition differs from sale, 3+ days passed, overseas delivery, in-store purchases, and deposit transactions.
¥900,000
This is a katana by Shimousadaijo Fujiwara Kanemasa, who was also known as Hattori Kichibei and was the 5th generation grandson of Seki Kanenori. He worked in Echizen, Edo, and Hikone. The blade is newly polished and in excellent condition, accompanied by NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon papers.
mei · Edo · nagasa 64.6cm · sori 0.7cm






Echizen · around 1661-1673
Fujishiro Chu-jo saku · Tōken Taikan top 76%
3 pieces 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.
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 possible within 3 days of arrival. Customer pays return shipping and bank transfer fees. Excluded: condition differs from sale, 3+ days passed, overseas delivery, in-store purchases, and deposit transactions.
¥900,000