Modern Japan made the sword an exile, then an artwork: the 1876 Haitōrei ended sword wearing, the postwar ban nearly ended the craft, and the revival built on the NBTHK’s founding in 1948 remade it as a licensed art.
NihontoWatchNihontoWatchTokubetsu Hozon Hamon : Nioi-deki ko-gunome. The nioi-guchi is soft and consistent in luminosity and width. There are many ko-ashi. Boshi : Ko-maru with a kaeri. Kitae : Tightly forged ko-itame that is nearly muji. Abundant fine ji-nie can be seen. About this Sword : A fine and important tachi by Hayama Enshin. This blade was made in January of 1913 and Enshin recorded his age of 68 on the nakago. Hayama Enshin is one of the key gendai smiths that kept sword making alive after the Meiji restoration. He learned sword-making from Suzkui Masao, of the Kiyomaru school, and trained many students. Please see the lineage chart at the bottom of this page for a list of his 15 pupils. Hayama Enshin was skilled in making his own iron and his work has a unique character in terms of steel color, soft "koto-like" nioi-guchi and the nature of the hataraki he produced. This blade is ubu-ba for over 6 cm. Based on such a prominent ubu-ba, this may be the original polish from 1913. The blade is well made and healthy. This blade had a maru-mune which is an interesting point of appreciation. There are no kizu. The old polish shows some scratches and surface blemishes as shown in the photos. This blade was awarded a NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon paper. The rank of Tokubetsu Hozon speaks clearly to the empirical importance of this tachi. There is an old shira-saya, gold foil habaki and a storage box. A wonderful example of Enshin's work and of Nihonto from the Taisho era.
NihontoWatchOffered by Nihontocraft
5 on the market
Musashi · around 1868-1912
Fujishiro Chu-jo saku · Tōken Taikan top 87%
5 pieces on the market now
The modern era (1868 to today)
Modern Japan made the sword an exile, then an artwork: the 1876 Haitōrei ended sword wearing, the postwar ban nearly ended the craft, and the revival built on the NBTHK’s founding in 1948 remade it as a licensed art.
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 site3 day inspection period on all sales. Items can be returned for any reason for a full refund, less return shipping cost. Returned items must be in the same condition as when purchased.
$6,800