NihontoWatchWe classify swordsmiths' works into four levels based on their quality: Saijo Saku (Highest Grade), Jojo Saku (Excellent Grade), Jo Saku (High Grade), and Futsu Saku (Regular Grade). This sword is ranked as Jo Saku (High Grade) among works attributed to Mumei (Ko-Mihara). Shape:The blade is O-suriage Mumei (greatly shortened and unsigned), with standard width and thickness, deep curvature, and an elongated kissaki, giving it an elegant and well-balanced shape. Jigane:The well-forged itame-hada features ji-nie mixed with mokume-hada. Chikei appears in places, creating a refined and attractive steel texture. Hamon:Nie-deki suguha mixed with small gunome-midare. Ko-ashi and yo can be seen within the hamon. The boshi shows nijuba (double temper lines), with a slightly hakikake appearance toward the tip. Special Features: The Mihara school was a group of swordsmiths based in Bingo Province. The school originated in the late Kamakura period and flourished until the end of the Muromachi period. Works produced from the late Kamakura through the Nanbokucho period are collectively referred to as Ko-Mihara (Old Mihara), while those made during the Muromachi period are known as Sue-Mihara (Late Mihara). Bingo Province contained many estates belonging to influential temples in the Kinai region, including Toji Temple and Rengeoin. It is believed that the Yamato characteristics found in the workmanship of the Mihara school developed through cultural and technical exchanges with these central regions. Throughout its history, the Mihara school displayed a strong influence from the Yamato tradition. Its hamon is primarily suguha, occasionally mixed with slight irregularities, while the jigane generally consists of itame-hada with a tendency toward flowing grain patterns. Compared with swords produced in Yamato Province itself, Mihara works generally exhibit less prominent nie in both the jigane and hamon. The jigane often shows shirake-utsuri, with noticeable mokume-hada mixed into the itame-hada, creating a somewhat pronounced grain pattern. Other characteristic features include a relatively tight nioiguchi and a generally subdued boshi. At first glance, this particular sword resembles the workmanship of the Aoe school of neighboring Bitchu Province. The jigane is especially attractive, displaying a distinctive texture reminiscent of chirimen-hada (crepe-like grain). This is a highly appealing sword with beautiful and characteristic steel. NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Token Certificate Aoi Art Estimation Paper Full-Length Oshigata
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Yamato-den · Bingo
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The Mihara school arose in Bingo Province during the late Kamakura period and maintained continuous production through the end of the Muromachi period. The region's ancient reputation as a center for iron goods—documented as early as Engi 14 (914) in the Seiji Yōryaku—provided the technical foundation for this sustained tradition. Because Bingo contained numerous landed estates (shōen) belonging to major Kinai temples and shrines such as Tōji and Rengeō-in (Sanjūsangendō), the smiths working at Mihara engaged in regular interchange with the central provinces. This geographical and economic relationship accounts for the pronounced Yamato temperament observable throughout the school's output. The term "Ko-Mihara" (Early Mihara) designates works produced from the late Kamakura through the Nanbokuchō period, with Masaie and Masahiro recognized as the lineage's most accomplished masters. Ko-Mihara workmanship reveals a distinctive fusion of Yamato influence and regional character. The forging typically exhibits itame-hada mixed with conspicuous mokume and flowing grain (nagare), often with a tendency for the texture to stand (hada-dachi). Fine ji-nie adheres throughout the steel surface, and a characteristic whitish cast (shirake-utsuri) appears prominently—a feature repeatedly cited in appraisals as diagnostic of the school. The tempering follows Yamato convention in emphasizing suguha, but the nioiguchi tends toward tightness (shimarigokoro) with well-adhering ko-nie rather than the more vigorous nie activity seen in Yamato proper.
Along the hardened edge, smiths frequently introduced hotsure, uchi-noke, and subtle kuichigai-ba effects, while the nioiguchi often exhibits a subdued (shizumi) quality. The bōshi typically runs straight and turns back gently in ko-maru or rounded (maru) form, concluding with fine hakikake at the tip—a restrained finish characteristic of the school. Nanbokuchō-period examples display the era's monumental aesthetic: wide mihaba with minimal taper from base to tip, shallow curvature, high shinogi, and extended chū-kissaki or ō-kissaki, creating a dignified and powerfully robust form. The school's output demonstrates how peripheral traditions absorbed and transformed influences from established centers while maintaining regional identity. Ko-Mihara blades occupy a position intermediate between the vigorous nie-work of Yamato proper and the more subdued aesthetic preferences of western Japan. This balance—robust construction paired with restrained tempering, standing grain texture combined with tight nioiguchi, and Yamato-derived suguha inflected with local characteristics—defines the school's technical achievement. The whitish forging, conspicuous mokume, and gentle bōshi became recognized signatures that distinguished Mihara work from its Yamato models. Through four centuries of continuous production, the smiths of Mihara maintained technical standards sufficient to supply both local demand and broader military markets, their works preserving a coherent school identity across generational transmission. Learn more →
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Nobumori信守 | 987-1596 | 0 |
| Sadakuni貞國 | 1441-1444 | 0 |
| Nobutsugu信次 | 1444-1449 | 0 |
| Nobuie信家 | 1394-1428 | 0 |
| Tomotsugu朝次 | 1394-1428 | 0 |
Yamato in the Nanbokuchō period
When the Southern Court made its capital at Yoshino, in Yamato itself, the province’s schools were at their height: the late Tegai line, Shikkake Norinaga, and the pure masame of Hōshō. Their technique was already spreading across the provinces.
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.
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¥850,000