Edo was the sword’s age of connoisseurship: the Hon’ami appraisers, the shogunal register of famous blades of 1719, and a thriving literature turned the sword into an object of study even as it ceased to be drawn in war.
NihontoWatchNihontoWatchThis blade was signed by Hitachi no Kami Muneshige (常陸守宗重) in the early Edo Period(Approx. 350 years old). Muneshige was originally from the Harima area(Hyogo prefecture today). He then moved to Osaka to forge swords during the Kanbun era. (the early Edo period). His master was the first generation Tsuda Sukehiro(津田助広), one of the greatest swordsmiths in the early Edo period in Osaka. The reputation of Sukehiro was closed to Kotetsu, another renowned swordsmith in the Edo period. It is said that Muneshige’s sword-forging technique was so great that he forged some swords on behalf of his master Sukehiro. Muneshige received the title of Hitachi no Kami. The imperial court only gave the title of kami(守) to the swordsmiths who did excellent work. It was honorable for any swordsmiths to receive such a title and only extremely skilled swordsmiths deserved this title. The blades forged by Muneshige are categorized as Osaka Shinto. Shinto is Japanese Sword generic term that refers to the swords forged during 1596-1781. The blades made in Osaka area during this period are called Osaka Shinto. There are many famous swordsmiths in this Osaka Shinto era. After Hideyoshi Toyotomi built Osaka castle, Osaka city flourished as a castle town and became the business center. Many swordsmiths moved to Osaka to look for better opportunities. They not only forged swords for those Samurai who lived in Osaka but also for feudal lords nationwide. Ikanshi Tadatsuna(Awataguchi Omi no Kami Tadatsuna), Inoue Shinkai, and Tsuda Sukehiro are the most famous ones among those many swordsmiths. There is a tiny Kitae Kizu on the blade, if you like to see more photos, please feel free to contact us. This blade is appraised as a Tokubetsu Hozon Token(特別保存刀剣) issued by NBTHK(Nihon Bijutsu Touken Hozon Kyokai:日本美術刀剣保存協会). Other details Nakago Nakago is the hilt of the Japanese sword. It has the signature of Hitachi no Kami Muneshige. Authentication Paper They authenticated the blade on July 20th in the second year of Heisei(1990). They appraised it as Tokubetsu Hozon Touken, the blade especially worth preserving for Japanese society.
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Settsu · around 1661-1673
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The Edo period (1615 to 1868)
Edo was the sword’s age of connoisseurship: the Hon’ami appraisers, the shogunal register of famous blades of 1719, and a thriving literature turned the sword into an object of study even as it ceased to be drawn in war.
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.