The craft survived the Meiji ban and the occupation’s near-extinction, and rebuilt itself deliberately: licensed forging from 1953, traditional methods required by law, Living National Treasures, and the mukansa rank above judgment.
NihontoWatchNihontoWatchOrdering Number: 24648Katana in Shirasaya (NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Token)Signature:Showa 12 Nen 12 Gatsu Hi (December, 1937) 昭和十二年十二月日Made by Shigetsugu at the residence of Mr. Tōyama Mitsuru於頭山満翁邸内繁継作We divide 4 sections for each sword as Saijyo Saku, Jyojyo Saku, Jyo Saku and Regular Saku.This blade is ranked as Jyojyo Saku for Shigetsugu.Habaki: Gold-plated double-layeredBlade Length: 68.4 cm (26.93 in)Curvature: 1.7 cm (0.67 in)Mekugi Hole: 1Width at Base (Motohaba): 3.13 cm (1.23 in)Width at Tip (Sakihaba): 2.14 cm (0.84 in)Thickness of rim (Kasane): 0.74 cm (0.29 in)Sword Weight: 730 gEra: 1937Shape: Slightly wide blade with deep curvature and slightly extended kissaki; Ububa edge remains.Jigane: tightly packed Ko-itame hada with a clean appearance.Hamon: Nioi-based chōji-midare with soft ashi; boshi is midarekomi.Features: Kasama Ikkansai Shigetsugu, whose real name was Kasama Yoshikazu, was a swordsmith born in Shizuoka Prefecture in 1886. He forged swords at a smithy located within the residence of Tōyama Mitsuru. He received numerous awards and was also involved in producing many presentation swords. He passed away in 1966 at the age of 80. He dedicated himself to the revival and transmission of traditional Japanese sword-forging techniques and served as a mentor to prominent smiths such as Tsukamoto Okimasa and Miyairi Shohei.NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon CertificateAoi Art estimation paper: Whole OshigataPrice:700,000JPYOrder FormRelated Items:Katana:Forged at the residence of Toyama Mitsuru by Kasama Ikkansai Shigetsugu June, Showa 12 (1937) Made upon the request of Hirooka Kenji (NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Token)Tachi: Naniwa Ju Gassan Sadakatsu Kinsaku (1937) (NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Token)Katana:Oite Nihon-so Yoshiwara Kuniie Seitan(NBTHK Hozon Token)Katana:: Sakai Ikkansai Shigemasa (Mukansa Tosho) Auspicious day in August, 1970(NBTHK Hozon Token)Katana: Miyairi Akihira Saku Kore An auspicious day in February, Showa 34 (1959), Made for Mr. Kunio Kanzawa (NBTHK Toku
Certificate reading — 銘 繁継作(刻印・トキワ) 於頭山満翁邸内 昭和十二年十二月日
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Tokyo · around 1912-1926
Tōken Taikan top 63%
4 pieces on the market now
The modern era (1868 to today)
The craft survived the Meiji ban and the occupation’s near-extinction, and rebuilt itself deliberately: licensed forging from 1953, traditional methods required by law, Living National Treasures, and the mukansa rank above judgment.
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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