This antique katana is signed by Iga no Kami Kanemichi, an Osaka Shinto smith active in the early Edo period. It comes with an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon certificate, confirming its authenticity and artistic value. The sword features a koshirae with chrysanthemum and Hannya mask motifs, and a tsuba with a shippō-tsunagi openwork design.
NihontoWatchmei · Osaka Shinto · Edo · nagasa 70cm · sori 0.8cm
Settsu · around 1673-1681
2 pieces on the market now
The Edo period (1615 to 1868)
For two and a half centuries of peace the sword was the warrior’s legal badge rather than his weapon. Each great city developed its own manner, Edo’s tested strength against Ōsaka’s polished brilliance, until demand thinned in the era’s last decades.
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/exchanges limited to defects caused by shipping (except willful misconduct or gross negligence by the company); customers must contact within 72 hours of receiving the product.
This antique katana is signed by Iga no Kami Kanemichi, an Osaka Shinto smith active in the early Edo period. It comes with an NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon certificate, confirming its authenticity and artistic value. The sword features a koshirae with chrysanthemum and Hannya mask motifs, and a tsuba with a shippō-tsunagi openwork design.
NihontoWatchmei · Osaka Shinto · Edo · nagasa 70cm · sori 0.8cm
Settsu · around 1673-1681
2 pieces on the market now
The Edo period (1615 to 1868)
For two and a half centuries of peace the sword was the warrior’s legal badge rather than his weapon. Each great city developed its own manner, Edo’s tested strength against Ōsaka’s polished brilliance, until demand thinned in the era’s last decades.
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/exchanges limited to defects caused by shipping (except willful misconduct or gross negligence by the company); customers must contact within 72 hours of receiving the product.
