NihontoWatchOrdering Number: 24788Katana in Shirasaya (Tokubetsu Hozon Token) (NBTHK Tokubetsu Kicho Token)Signature:Hachiman Daibosatsu Ikkansai Shigetsugu Saku 八幡大菩薩一貫斉繁継作Taisho 2 nen 2 gatsu hi (1976) 大正二年二月日We divide 4 sections for each sword as Saijyo Saku, Jyojyo Saku, Jyo Saku and Regular Saku.This work is ranked as Jyojyo Saku among the works of Ikkan-sai Shigetsugu.Habaki: Gold-covered double habakiBlade Length: 66.5 cm (26.18 in)Curvature: 2.0 cm (0.79 in)Mekugi Hole: 2Width at Base (Motohaba): 3.04 cm (1.20 in)Width at Tip (Sakihaba): 2.11 cm (0.83 in)Thickness of rim (Kasane): 0.62 cm (0.24 in)Sword Weight: 750 gEra: 1913 (Taisho 2)Shape: The blade has a solid width and thickness.On the front side, a dragon and sickle are carved, and on the back side, a sword and dokko (vajra) are carved.Jigane: Well-forged ko-itame hada with a fine texture and excellent quality.Hamon: Nie-based with choji-midare and gunome-midare.The boshi is midare and turns back round.Features: Kasama Ikkan-sai Shigetsugu, real name Kasama Giichi, was a swordsmith born in Shizuoka in 1886 (Meiji 19).He was a teacher of Tsukamoto Okimasa and Miyairi Akihira, among others.He forged swords at a smithy within the estate of Toyama Mitsuru.He received many awards and produced numerous presentation swords.He passed away in 1966 (Showa 41) at the age of 80.Aoi Art’s Comment: This blade features an impressive carving of a dragon, a sword, and a dokko.The hamon is also well-crafted.Sword blades with such carvings are rare, and among them, Ikkan-sai Shigetsugu produced many.As this blade was made shortly after the Meiji era ended, it can be favorably compared to works by Gassan Sadakazu.This is a work expected to gain higher recognition in the future.Sayagaki:Made by Ikkan-sai ShigetsuguDated: February, 1913With added inscription "Hachiman Daibosatsu"Blade length: 2 shaku 2 sunWritten on an auspicious day in January, 1976By Dr. Kanzan (with kaō)Tokubetsu Hozon CertificateNBTHK Tokubetsu Kicho TokenAoi Art e
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Tokyo · around 1912-1926
Tōken Taikan top 63%
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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.
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