NihontoWatchGassan Sadakatsu was the legitimate son of the Imperial Court Artist (now Ningen Kokuho), the first generation Sadakazu, and was born in Meiji 2 (1869) in Yariyamachi, Osaka. His real name was Eitaro. From early childhood, he mastered sword-forging techniques under his father, Sadakazu, but because he served as the assistant hammer-man and performed proxy work until his father's later years, works with his own mei are few. After his father's death, he gained the patronage of Ichiki Kitokuro, who was the Minister of the Imperial Household at the time, and enjoyed the honor of producing the Daigensui-to for His Majesty the Emperor, swords for Imperial use, and swords bestowed upon Army and Navy generals. He also boasted talent as an instructor, and among his students, Takahashi Sadatsugu and Sadakatsu's third son, the second generation Sadakazu, both later became Ningen Kokuho (Holders of Important Intangible Cultural Property). The style of his work is not limited to the Ayasugi-hada forging of his teacher's tradition but covers every den, and he was particularly skilled in Bizen-den and Soshu-den. This sword is a hira-zukuri style tanto with a nagasa of slightly over 8 sun 5 bu. As for the jigane, Ayasugi-hada appears beautifully throughout, and ji-nie attaches. The hamon is a baked suguha, and due to the influence of the forging grain, the habuchi is mixed with an uchiyoke style. The boshi continues straight as it is and returns with a slight hakikake-gokoro at the tip. This item is a sword forged in Showa 8 (1933) to commemorate the birth of Prince Akihito (the current Emperor Emeritus). Ayasugi-hada (Gassan-hada) appears clearly in the forging, providing a glimpse of this smith's outstanding skill. Despite being a tanto, it possesses a certain dignity and is a masterpiece by this smith. Shirasaya, gold-clad single habaki, kuro-roiro-nuri-saya aikuchi tanto koshirae, Hozon Token Kanteisho.
Offered by World Seiyudo
6 on the market
Machine translation from the shop's Japanese · may contain errors ·
Shinshinto · Osaka · around 1926-1989
Fujishiro Jo saku · Tōken Taikan top 60%
6 pieces on the market now
Where Sadakatsu stands among comparable artisans: across all of nihontō, and within tradition, era, and period. The tiers (Foremost · Leading · Major · Notable) weigh official designations from the NBTHK and Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs, together with historical honors of lasting repute such as the Sansaku and Meibutsu-chō.
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Shinshinto · Settsu
27 pieces on the market now
| Smith | Era | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Sadaharu貞晴 | 1865-1868 | 0 |
| Sadayoshi貞吉 | 1926-1989 | 0 |
| Yoshiaki吉明 | 1844-1848 | 0 |
| Naonobu直信 | 1854-1860 | 0 |
| Sadayoshi貞吉 | 1830-1863 | 0 |
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.
Certifies a genuine blade worth preserving: a signature confirmed correct, or, if unsigned, an era, province, and school that the NBTHK can reliably identify.
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).
¥2,800,000