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.
This is a tanto by Living National Treasure Gassan Sadaichi, made the year after he was designated as such. The blade features carvings by the smith himself and comes with an aikuchi koshirae. The fittings are made with old metal and feature a karakusa design.
NihontoWatchmei · Gassan · Showa (1926-1989) · nagasa 28.6cm · sori 0.05cm
Yamato · around 1907-1995
Tōken Taikan top 49%
5 pieces on the market now
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.
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 siteThree-day cooling-off period from receipt for refund or exchange. Return shipping and transfer fees are customer responsibility. Items showing use or condition changes are non-returnable.
This is a tanto by Living National Treasure Gassan Sadaichi, made the year after he was designated as such. The blade features carvings by the smith himself and comes with an aikuchi koshirae. The fittings are made with old metal and feature a karakusa design.
NihontoWatchmei · Gassan · Showa (1926-1989) · nagasa 28.6cm · sori 0.05cm
Yamato · around 1907-1995
Tōken Taikan top 49%
5 pieces on the market now
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.
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 siteThree-day cooling-off period from receipt for refund or exchange. Return shipping and transfer fees are customer responsibility. Items showing use or condition changes are non-returnable.
![Katana - Tokuho - by Gassan Sadakazu - Signed Naniwa ju Gassan Unryushi Sadakazu tsukuru [Seal] Keio gannen 11 gatsujitsu](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fitbhfhyptogxcjbjfzwx.supabase.co%2Fstorage%2Fv1%2Fobject%2Fpublic%2Flisting-images%2Fchoshuya%2FL805711%2F00.jpg&w=2560&q=90)
