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.
This is a wakizashi by Iehira, a smith of the Daran-ha school in Kaga province, active during the Middle Edo period (around 1672). It is a collaborative work with Masauji and is known for its excellent cutting ability, being ranked as a Wazamono. The blade features a robust jigane with ko-itame hada and a bright, clear hamon of gunome and choji mixed with notare. It comes with a shirasaya, gold foil habaki, and a red lacquer chidankizami koshirae.
NihontoWatchmei · Daran-Ha · Kanbun (1661-1673) · nagasa 51.6cm · sori 1.1cm
Kaga · around 1661-1673
Fujishiro Chu-jo saku · Tōken Taikan top 76%
3 pieces on the market now
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 siteNo cooling-off period or returns; refund only if the purchased sword is proven fake, capped at purchase price (excludes commission sales, accessories, auction items).
This is a wakizashi by Iehira, a smith of the Daran-ha school in Kaga province, active during the Middle Edo period (around 1672). It is a collaborative work with Masauji and is known for its excellent cutting ability, being ranked as a Wazamono. The blade features a robust jigane with ko-itame hada and a bright, clear hamon of gunome and choji mixed with notare. It comes with a shirasaya, gold foil habaki, and a red lacquer chidankizami koshirae.
NihontoWatchmei · Daran-Ha · Kanbun (1661-1673) · nagasa 51.6cm · sori 1.1cm
Kaga · around 1661-1673
Fujishiro Chu-jo saku · Tōken Taikan top 76%
3 pieces on the market now
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 siteNo cooling-off period or returns; refund only if the purchased sword is proven fake, capped at purchase price (excludes commission sales, accessories, auction items).
