NihontoWatchIt has appeared, it has appeared; a grand katana by Higo Dotanuki Munehiro, who represents the pinnacle of the Bakumatsu period Dotanuki school, has appeared. However, as this sword has not currently been submitted for shinsa, please treat the mei as a "hopeful mei" (kibomei) that it would be nice if it were so. The tosho Dotanuki Munehiro is a master smith who represents the pinnacle of the Dotanuki school and claimed to be the 10th generation descendant of the famous Kyushu Higo Dotanuki Kozuke no Suke. A Kyushu Higo Dotanuki sword is something every sword enthusiast wants to own at least one of, but please treat this sword as a hopeful mei for now. The sugata of this sword is typical of Dotanuki, showing a grand sword shape with a wide moto-mihaba and a wide saki-mihaba with a large kissaki and sori; the jigane is forged in itame hada with o-itame hada appearing in the middle, creating a bright forged jigane, and the hamon is a Bizen-den nioi-deki gunome midare-ba with konie, tempered high with many nioi-ashi, creating a spirited blade. Dotanuki school swords became famous all at once as the haito of the protagonist Ogami Itto in Yorozuya Kinnosuke's "Kozure Okami," becoming extremely popular and traded at the highest prices after the war. It is a sword of the famous Higo Dotanuki Munehiro, but it is a hopeful mei. This time, an old collector who is a doctor said that he loved Dotanuki swords and bought this on impulse at a high price long ago, but as he has grown old, he asked to pass it on cheaply to someone who feels they need this sword; because we received it under these terms, we are offering it at a special, ultra-low price. It is a grand sword typical of Dotanuki, and it is recommended for those who want a Dotanuki sword even if it is a hopeful mei; please enjoy it.
NihontoWatchOffered by Nipponto
10 on the market
As written by the shop
Machine translation from the shop's Japanese · may contain errors ·
Bizen-den · Higo
10 pieces on the market now
The Dōtanuki (同田貫) line took shape in Kikuchi District of Higo Province toward the close of the Muromachi period and carried its activity forward into the shintō era, spanning the Momoyama transition into early Edo. The setsumei of the group's own blades name several of its hands: Ueno no Suke, whose dated work runs from Tenshō through Keichō and who is therefore described as a maker active across the divide between old and new traditions; Fujiwara Masakuni, treated as a leading smith of the school; Masahiro, whose naginata the register notes is absent from the meikan and so supplements that omission; and Matahachi. The accounts further list Samanosuke, Hyōbu, Matahachizaemon, and Kunikatsu among the line's signing smiths. The group is repeatedly framed as a representative Kyūshū lineage of the period, working in the domain that would become the ground of Higo's later military culture. The shared vocabulary of the setsumei is plain and consistent. The sugata is described as sturdy and uncompromising, bukotsu, with wide mihaba, thick kasane, and ample hiraniku, and little difference between base and tip width; on swords the sakizori can be pronounced and the chū-kissaki extended, while the spears and large naginata show flaring, full heads. The kitae is itame, often with nagare and mokume mixed in and a tendency toward hada-dachi, with ji-nie adhering and chikei at times visible.
The hamon moves between two registers: a notare base mixed with ko-gunome, ko-chōji, and ko-togariba, and a quieter suguha with ko-ashi and yō; across both the nioiguchi tends to be tight, nie gathers densely, and sunagashi, kinsuji, tobiyaki, and muneyaki recur. The hand is recognized by this combination of robust unrefined build and a midareba whose tight nioiguchi and clustered nie read as rustic rather than ornamental. The register notes a shizumi-gokoro, a subdued tendency in both ji and ha, that lends a restrained austerity. " The setsumei return again and again to cutting power: the sharpness of these blades is highly praised, and they are recorded as practical weapons carried into use. Provenance survives in mounted form, including a naginata by Masakuni accompanied by a black lacquer mounting with gold maki-e judged contemporary with the blade, and a Matahachi naginata with its black-lacquered pole mounting. Within the line, individual works are singled out as superior examples that convey the school's character, the Ueno no Suke katana of Keichō 16 being read as exceptionally fine among its peers. The register places Dōtanuki as a Higo lineage whose unadorned strength and cutting reputation hold a recognized standing in the shintō-period record. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Muneharu宗春 | 1865-1868 | 0 |
| Kunikatsu國勝 | 1558-1570 | 0 |
| Kagemasa景和 | 1596-1615 | 0 |
| Munehiro宗廣 | 1830-1868 | 0 |
| Kozukenosuke上野介 | 1596-1615 | 0 |
Shōwa to the present: destruction and revival
The twentieth century nearly killed the craft twice: wartime distortion, then the occupation ban. The NBTHK’s founding in 1948 and licensed forging from 1953 rebuilt the sword as an art, crowned by Living National Treasures and the mukansa rank.
We could not find an authenticity certificate on the seller’s listing. Japanese swords and fittings are normally papered by the NBTHK (or the NTHK). Without one, the attribution is the seller’s own assessment and has not been independently verified — treat it with caution and ask the dealer about certification before buying.
For returns due to customer circumstances, the cost is the customer's responsibility. For returns due to our mis-shipment or a defective item, we bear the cost.
¥480,000