Perry’s arrival in 1853 unraveled the Tokugawa peace and created the first mass demand for working swords in two centuries. Kiyomaro, called the Masamune of Yotsuya, died on its eve; Munetsugu and Yukihide carried the boom to the end.
NihontoWatchNihontoWatchThe Gassan school, famous for its incomparable ayasugi-hada forging pattern, is a lineage of Oshu smiths continuing since the Kamakura period. Although it once died out at the end of the Muromachi period, in Tenpo 4, the Gassan descendant Sadayoshi began forging swords in Osaka, leading to the present day. His adopted son Sadakazu began making swords from the end of the Edo period, and despite suffering the misfortune of the Haitorei edict, he was appointed as a Teishitsu Gigeiin in Meiji 39. Becoming a purveyor to the Imperial Household Ministry, he forged swords for the Imperial Family, prominent figures, and numerous imperial gift swords, becoming a master smith representing that era in both popularity and skill. This work has a standard nagasa of 2 shaku 3 sun with bo-hi carved, a wide and sturdy mihaba, and a grand sugata with a kasane of nearly 9mm. The nioi-deki suguha is covered in nie along the hadame of the habuchi, maintaining a straight line without midare or yakikuzure. The tightly packed ayasugi-hada is extremely delicate, sublimating a characteristic that can sometimes become unpleasant into an elegant and refined atmosphere. The jigane, which also shows faint utsuri, represents the completed form of the Gassan-hada followed since ancient times. The boshi is covered in nie and returns with a slightly pointed tip, and the blade is overall the picture of kenzen. The nakago is ubu with kesho-yasurime remaining, and his son Sadakatsu has carved the mei. Jojo-saku. Accompanied by a Hozon Token Kanteisho.
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As written by the shop
Machine translation from the shop's Japanese · may contain errors ·
Shinshinto · Settsu · around 1864-1865
Fujishiro Jo saku · Tōken Taikan top 23%
7 pieces on the market now
Where Sadakazu 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 |
Bakumatsu: the last war market
Perry’s arrival in 1853 unraveled the Tokugawa peace and created the first mass demand for working swords in two centuries. Kiyomaro, called the Masamune of Yotsuya, died on its eve; Munetsugu and Yukihide carried the boom to the end.
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 siteIf the item is not to your liking, please feel free to return it for any reason. Return shipping is the customer's responsibility. After the item arrives and we confirm it is in the same condition as at the time of sale, we transfer the refund to your designated account the same day. Purchases made at the store are outside the scope of cooling-off.